Demons'll Charm You
by MissAnissa
Summary: Haunted by that ill-fated night, Toby is finally being released from the madhouse, ten years later. He returns to Fleet Street to begin a new life for himself. Toby also meets a lovely young lady who he'd do anything for; but as time passes, his haunting memories torment him once again. He starts to become the man he never wanted to be, which puts everyone he cares for in danger.
1. Chapter 1: Return to Fleet Street

"_Nothing's gonna harm you… Not while I'm around…"_

"Tobias!"

Toby sat straight up in his bed and breathed heavily and he shook the ghastly memory out of his mind.

"You were 'aving one of those terrors again, were you not?" His friend asked.

Toby nodded and through the covers off of himself. "I was. I'm sorry, Porter."

Porter nodded and went back to making carvings in the wall with a sharp stone. He had been doing them for years. "You're being released today, I remembered. What did you 'ave to do for that?"

"Nothing, really. The doctor felt that I was fully recovered. The nightmares won't go away, obviously. Those are there to stay but; other than that, I've had no 'moments of insanity', as you called them."

Porter watched Toby as if he had not believed him. He hesitated before speaking. "I suppose you 'avent. 'Ave you got everything packed and ready?" He asked.

Toby nodded excitedly and pointed to a leather suitcase near his bed. "I did that last night. Are you going to be alright without me, Porter? I know how difficult it is for you to talk to people."

"I'm sure I'll be fine. I am gonna miss you, Toby," Porter replied smiling with his kind eyes.

Toby went to the end of his bed and picked up his suitcase; he then shook hands with his dear friend.

"I shall miss you, as well."

Toby was only fourteen when he had witnessed the death of the woman who he had learned to love as a mother: Mrs. Lovett. That same night, Toby found the bodies in the meat grinder and he had seen the brutally slaughtered bodies of Beadle Bamford, Judge Turpin and the beggar woman he shooed out of the pie shop. He later heard that it had been Sweeney Todd's wife.

Toby had been a mess when he arrived. He would cry hysterically for Mrs. Lovett, swear to get his revenge and damn Sweeney's soul. He would have vivid flashbacks of that night, which caused him to have terrible nightmares or cause him to lash out violently at the other patients. All patients, young and old began to fear the young boy. Because of this, Toby was kept in room which he shared with two other boys he knew by nicknames, Match and Porter. Match, who had a fascination with fire, had been born with a condition which the doctors did not understand and he eventually died of neglect before he reached the age of eighteen. Porter, on the other hand, did not seem insane at all to Toby. Porter had already been in this madhouse when Toby had arrived ten years ago. He had been extremely quiet and barely spoke to Toby the first two years of his arrival. Once Porter began to feel comfortable with his knew friend, he told him his whole story. Porter's mother had been a psychopath, who killed her husband, or so he was told. She was with child when she was placed in the madhouse, which was where Porter was born. She had passed away shortly after, leaving Porter in the care of nurses and patients. They named him Porter for a reason Toby did not know. Terrible things had happened to Porter over those years, which was why he was cautious when trusting new people. Toby was appalled by the things Porter had told him but Porter was even more appalled by the things Toby had told _him. _

Over the years, the two became close friends; each dreaming of a life outside of the madhouse. A life filled with travel, family, a wife, success and anything else that would distract them from the past. Porter had a feeling he would never leave but he had hopes for Toby and that day for Toby came at last, ten years later.

Toby had grown into a rather handsome young man. Unlike most of the other patients, Toby tried his best to take good care of himself and not fall to the disease filled unhopeful darkness that the others had fallen into, Porter was included in this bunch. Toby hadn't lashed out at a patient in five years and his nightmares were becoming less and less frequent. He was almost himself again. Toby had big hopes for his future and he was now ready to set out for them.

"You got any plans when you're outta here?" Porter asked, going back to carving the walls.

"I do actually," Toby started, "I'm going back."

Porter dropped the stone in shock and looked at Toby. "To the shop? I would think that you would wanna avoid all the things that bring you back those memories. I wouldn't even go back to the damned street, if I was you."

"Porter, don't worry. One of the officers told me the same thing and I thought about it; but I have some plans that will distract me from all of that and, I had the officer do me a favor before I return."

"Such as?" Porter asked, still not convinced.

"Well, I told him to empty out Mr. Todd's room upstairs of the unnecessary, which he did. His things were sold at an auction and the money from the auction is now in my possession, so I can be off to a good start. I'm going to reopen Mrs. Lovett's Meat Pie Emporium and buy some fresh new meat and ingredients and then, I'll start baking. I did learn a lot when I was helping her around the shop. I think I may even re-open the barber shop upstairs so I can make a little extra more."

Porter blinked. "My, my, my, you 'ave got things well figured out, I must say."

Toby nodded. "Thank you-" "Tobias Ragg?"

Porter and Toby both turned towards the now open door. An officer was now standing there with the keys in hand.

"I am Tobias Ragg," Toby told him.

"It's time to go," the officer said.

"Right." Toby stepped towards the door and looked back at his room, which he lived in for ten years of his life. "Goodbye, Porter."

"Goodbye, Toby. Be sure to send me one of those meat pies, if you can, aye?" Porter laughed.

Toby smiled. "I shall."

The officer huffed and pulled Toby out of the room and closed the door behind him. Toby's eyes narrowed at him as the officer inspected Toby up and down with his eyes.

"Uh, first things first. You have to go upstairs, get yourself cleaned up, have a bath, and get some new clothes. You weren't expecting to be released in those horrendous rags, were you?"

"These are my only clothes, Sir."

The officer looked at the leather suitcase he was holding. "Then what's in that?"

Toby looked at the bag in his hand. "Oh, this? This was given to me when I arrived. It has my small possessions that I was able to bring with me, surprisingly. The clothes I've worn for the past ten years have all belonged here."

"I see. Well, while you're upstairs putting yourself together, I shall go out and find you something acceptable for you to go out in. I suggest when you arrive back, the first thing you do is find yourself a new wardrobe," The officer said.

Toby said his thanks to the officer and the two soon departed. Toby headed straight upstairs and found a clean bath to bathe in. He fixed his hair, washed his face and in about an hour, a new set of clothes had arrived for him to wear when he left the building. The officer had gotten him a new pair of black leather boots, a new shirt, trousers and a dark coat.

After Toby was dressed, he was told that the officer was waiting for him outside with a carriage. Toby excitedly picked up his suitcase and looked at a cracked mirror on the wall. He smiled at himself. He felt like a brand new man. He felt that nothing would bring him down now, that is, until he walked downstairs. There was a certain hallway that one would have to walk through if you wanted to reach the entrance door quickly. It was usually avoided since there was a mad old woman who would always sit at the start of it. Nurses and doctors said that they would move her but no one ever did.

Eager to leave, Toby quickly headed for that hallway but slowed his pace as he saw the haggard old woman watching him.

"There be a bad omen with ye, Son," she wailed.

Toby ignored her and walked past her. "You're mad," he muttered.

"I am not the one who be mad. Ye are, Tobias Ragg." She had heard him.

That statement made Toby run for the door. He ran till he was out in the thick, foggy London air. Breathless, he stared at the sky. He had not had a chance to gaze upon in ten years. Funny, how a person can easily realize how majestic the sky can be when one has been kept in darkness for so long. The sky was just as he remembered it, gray, dark and gloomy. It was beautiful. He inhaled the cold crisp air. The smell of rain lingered in the air and the streets were damp with drops.

"It's like being in a new world, isn't it?" A voice asked.

Toby broke from his thoughts and looked at the officer, who was waiting at the carriage. "It is," Toby answered.

"We best be going, Mr. Ragg," the Officer said as he opened the door of the carriage for him.

Toby, not wanting to look back on the madhouse, headed straight for the carriage and sat on the side where the window was facing the opposite street.

"Now, tell me; where shall I tell the driver to take you?" The officer asked before he stepped into the carriage.

Toby looked away from the window. "Fleet Street."

The journey to Fleet Street was a fairly short one. The officer huffed and huffed away while Toby stared, wide-eyed, at the once familiar buildings and streets. He remembered it all; the church, the grocer, the court house, the fountain, the houses, the marketplace. Soon, he was in front of the place that was the most familiar of them all.

"Is this the place, Mr. Ragg?" The officer asked.

"Yes," Toby said quickly, holding his suitcase close to him, as he stepped out of the carriage when the driver opened the door.

The officer stepped out of the carriage and looked at the abandoned shop. "It looks like it needs work."

Toby stared at the shop; the officer was right. Mrs. Lovett's sign had faded, the windows were covered in dust, the curtains to the door were in tatters; it really did need a lot of work.

He turned to the officer and held his hand out for a handshake. "I'm sure I will be able to handle it, Officer…"

"Mitchells is the name," the officer said. "Officer Mitchells." Toby shook his hand and gave him a friendly smile.

"I am very grateful for everything you've done."

"My pleasure. Now, don't be getting yourself into trouble. I have faith in you, Mr. Ragg. I can see that if you play your cards right, you will be very successful."

"Thank you so much, Officer. I won't let you down. Once I get this shop re-opened, I'll be sure to have the first pie you have, be free of charge; just don't tell any other soul," Toby winked.

Officer Mitchells laughed heartily. "Why, thank you, Son. I appreciate it. I do enjoy having a good meal once in a while," he said as he got back into the carriage. "I'm sure we shall see one another soon."

"Of course," Toby smiled and watched the carriage disappear in the foggy street. Toby exhaled and opened his leather suitcase and pulled out a ring of keys. He found the right key for the front door and walked slowly to the front door. He shut his eyes tightly as he unlocked and opened the door. He could feel clouds of dust fall lightly on him. He closed the door behind him and opened his eyes. Everything was the same as it was ten years ago. The table where he ate his first meat pie was there and so was Mrs. Lovett's baking area. He walked towards the next room and found the sitting room. The fireplace was still intact but Mrs. Lovett's decorations were gone. Toby decided that they must have been stolen. To his left was Mrs. Lovett's chair. He remembered seeing her rest on that chair. The two of them would have humorous conversations with each other. If anyone had heard them, they would assume the two were quite mad, which they might have been.

Toby then decided to see what the upstairs was like. He went through the side of the shop and saw the space where all the tables for Mrs. Lovett's grand opening of the shop had been placed. To his right were the wooden steps that led up to room where Sweeney Todd had lived and did his gruesome business of murder. Toby went up the steps, hitting the barber's pole as he passed it, and opened the door with another key. The room was fairly empty. He was glad to see that the bloody mess that he saw, when he was showing the officers what Sweeney had done, was all cleaned up.

The dusty bed frame had been left for Toby, as well as the mirror that had the drawers and station for Sweeney's barber knives. The chair was also left in the middle of the room. The trap door for the bodies had been hammered shut, Toby realized when nothing had happened as he pressed the petal of the chair. Everything else in the room, such as tables, was gone. Mr. Sweeney Todd's room was now to be Toby's room.

Toby set his leather case on the wood floor in the middle of the room. He knelt beside it and emptied it out. What fell out of the bag were the three possessions he had kept with him for ten years. The keys were one of these possessions. He had taken the keys he found on the floor when he escaped from the sewer and kept them with him just in case he ever came back. The second possession was his tattered hat he wore when he was younger, it didn't fit him anymore but he had had it ever since he was a young boy. The last possession was a barber knife he had stolen from Sweeney Todd. It was the same knife that he had slit Sweeney's throat with. He had wanted to part with it but a haunting force was preventing him from doing so.

Toby stood up and looked around the room and imagined what he could do with it. He would fix the mirror up, purchase some furniture for the lonely room. Downstairs, he would refurnish Mrs. Lovett's sitting room and polish up the tables and when he was ready to face his fears, he would go down to the bakery and start the machines up again but this time, the machines would not be grinding up body parts. Toby was ready to make things right and he intended to keep it that way.

Toby went back downstairs to the pie shop and opened a cupboard. He wasn't surprised when he saw a dear spider in the corner of the cupboard; the whole place was probably full of those. He opened another cupboard and found an extremely dusty bottle of gin next to equally dusted glass cups.

"Ah, you look familiar," Toby smiled. He took the dusty bottle and a glass. He blew in the cup to get out the dust and wiped it on his shirt. He walked over to the table in the corner and sat. He happily served himself some gin and reclined in his seat, as if he didn't have a care in the world. Toby held his glass out, as if he was proposing a toast.

"To a new life," he stated and drank the gin.

After he satisfied his thirst with the gin, he began to make his plans for the drab abandoned shop come true.


	2. Chapter 2: Telling The Tale

As the months past, Toby's plan became a reality. He began with buying furniture for his new home, polishing up the remaining furniture, and purchasing fresh meat and ingredients for the meat pies. He had a new sign above the shop; _Mrs. Lovett's Meat Pie Emporium. _Even if the business was his now, he couldn't let the memory of Mrs. Lovett leave. The shop looked better than it had ten years ago. Tables and chairs were outside waiting for customers to be seated and enjoy.

Now that that was out of the way, Toby had to return downstairs to the notorious bakehouse. He had been hesitant at first but taught himself to almost forget what had happened down there. Some of it seemed too horrible to have happened, but he had remembered it all so clearly. To make the meat pies, he quickly went in and out of the bakehouse with nothing on his mind, other than getting the pies made. It seemed to work for him. Sometimes a flashback would stop him dead in his tracks but it was nothing he could not overcome.

Within four months of returning to Fleet Street, the day for the grand opening of the pie shop was already scheduled. The grand opening was, to Toby's surprise, an absolute success. Customers eagerly arrived to see what had become of the infamous building that contained the stories of a murderous barber. Society had only been told that the Judge, the Beadle, Mr. Todd and Mrs. Lovett were killed in an accident in the bakehouse. The thought of it being haunted intrigued many people. The slaughters and human pies from years ago had been kept a secret from society and were known only as rumors that some did and did not believe.

It was now a month after the grand opening and business was going excellent for Toby. He was wonderful at managing everything himself and gained a great profit from it all. The shop was open almost every day and since it was slower during the day, he had more than enough time to fix things in his room upstairs.

One late morning, on a Thursday, Toby had noticed business had been fairly slow. He sighed and walked to the window. There weren't that many people out on the streets today and yet it had been a day of nice weather. Since he won't be expecting a customer for the next two hours, at least, he decided to go recline in the next room and see if he can fit a nap into the hour. Toby went to what was Mrs. Lovett's sitting room and decided to rest on the settee. He looked at the clock one more time and then closed his eyes, not knowing that in a few minutes, his life would change.

"Oh, Madeline, that sounds lovely," Belle Marsden said to her friend.

Madeline Garwood blushed. "It was. Phillip is such a wonderful husband."

Belle sighed. "I cannot wait to get married. It sounds wonderful. I wish I could find someone like Phillip."

"Oh, Isabelle, you will find the right person for you soon enough. Like, eh, what happened to that Winston fellow?"

"He wasn't the right one."

"Oh, right, right. Well, we mustn't let that stop you. The man for you can be anywhere. Why, he could be ten feet away from you!" Madeline said as she scanned the street for eligible suitors for her friend.

"That sounds silly, Madeline," Belle said as she walked through foggy quaint Fleet Street. Her eyes caught sight of something ahead of them. It was sign for a business.

Belle read the sign out loud. "Mrs. Lovett's Meat Pie Emporium?"

Madeline followed her gaze to the sign. "Ah, yes! I've heard that those pies are wonderful. Phillip was there last month for the grand re-opening of it."

"Grand re-opening? What happened?"

Madeline stopped walking and her cheerful expression became serious. "Really, Isabelle, you don't know?"

Belle shook her head. "I don't."

"I'm shocked. Pay attention more. Now, let's see; about ten years ago, a barber named Sweeney Todd and a baker named Mrs. Lovett went into business together. Mrs. Lovett would cook the pies and Mr. Todd would provide the meat. It's not what you think it is. No. His customers at his barber shop were the meat. It is said that he cut their throat-"

"Madeline!" Belle exclaimed, a little bit too loudly. "How dare you agree with these accusations! We do not know if they are real are not."

"Oh, I'm not saying they're real. I'm just saying what has been said about it. Anyways, I'll skip the gruesome details."

"That would be nice."

"Todd and Lovett were both said to have died in an accident in the bakehouse bellow. The Judge and Beadle Bamford were also with them. Some say it was no accident. Some say it was a blood bath of murder. A young boy had worked there as well and he saw it happen! I've heard rumors that he was released from the insane asylum at the beginning of the year and now, he runs the shop," Madeline explained.

"That's all very interesting, Madeline. I don't believe a word of it. Shall we pay the shop a visit? You did say the pies were wonderful, did you not?" Belle asked.

"I did. I don't believe Phillip would be pleased that I'd spend my pin money on pies, though. We were supposed to go dress shopping, Belle."

Belle pulled her friend by the arm and gently dragged her towards the pie shop. "Let's just see, then. We won't buy anything."

"Fine." Madeline groaned.

Toby woke with a start when he heard the shop door open. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. He felt as if he had just fallen asleep. He glanced at the clock and saw that five minutes had passed. He stood and walked over to the front of the shop where whispers were heard.

When he walked in, he saw two young ladies. A brunette was standing near the front door, looking out the window and a blonde was tapping her fingers along the counter. She was the first to see him. She had heard his footsteps and turned to see who was about to walk in. Her dark blue eye had startled Toby. They were so beautiful. Toby stood speechless and motionless. All he could do was stand there and stare. Her face was pale, her lips were a lively shade of pink, and her eyes were like the ocean. Her light blonde hair was in a messy up-do. Strands of curls fell at the side of her face and at her shoulders. Toby couldn't help but wonder if he had died in his sleep and this woman was the angel who was greeting him at the gates of Heaven. He slowly made his way over to the counter.

Belle watched as the young man entered the room. As soon as she saw him, she knew he was different - in a good way. She stared at him while he stared at her. She felt something for him, something she hardly ever feels for another man. She wanted to talk to him. She wanted to be his friend. Was this the young boy in those dreadful stories? The one who was released from the mad house not too long ago? It couldn't be, she thought. He didn't seem like the boy at all.

He looked healthy and young. His hair was a lovely shade of brown. His eyes were a mix of brown and green. He was quite handsome, she realized. Her eyes followed him as he walked to the counter. The two were now face to face.

Madeline felt another presence in the room and turned to see the man behind the counter.

"Ah, hello!" Madeline greeted as she walked to the counter.

Toby turned to the brunette and smiled. "Hello, I am Tobias Ragg."

"It's pleasure to meet you, Mr. Ragg. That is an interesting name," Madeline began, "I am Madeline Garwood and this is my dear friend-"

"Isabelle," Belle interrupted, "Isabelle Marsden."

Toby turned to her and smiled, as well. "Well, I can say that it's wonderful to meet you both, Miss Garwood-"

"Mrs. Garwood," Madeline blushed.

"Mrs. Garwood and Miss Marsden?"

Madeline nodded. "Yes."

"So, how can I help you two?" Toby asked.

"Oh, we were just on a stroll and my friend decided to stop in and see the shop. My husband was here for the grand opening and he said it was delicious."

"Why thank you. I very much appreciate it," Toby smiled.

Madeline nodded and turned to Belle, who was being too quiet for her usual self. Belle looked at her friend and then at Toby.

"Would you like a pie?" Toby asked.

"Oh, no thank you, Mr. Ragg," Belle said.

Toby was about to offer two pies for free but he knew he couldn't do that. If he gave free pies to all the women who walked through the door, he'd be living on the streets. After a few more minutes of awkward silence, Madeline decided it was time to leave.

"Well, Mr. Ragg, it was a pleasure to meet you. We shall come back soon for one of those meat pies."

Toby went to the front door and opened it for them. "Thank you. And thank you for stopping by. It's always nice to meet new people."

Belle looked up and saw that Toby was looking straight at her. She smiled. "Yes, I agree."

Toby chuckled and saw a customer walking to the shop. "Well, goodbye."

"Goodbye," Madeline said again and walked out with Isabelle. "What the devil was that?"

"Such language, Madeline," Belle said sternly.

"He looked at you in an odd way."

"And?"

"And he obvious finds you attractive."

Belle looked at her. "So every man that looks at me in an odd manner finds me attractive? Nonsense. Now come on, let's buy some dresses!"

The thought of her had lingered through Toby's head all day and all night. He could barely even remain calm whenever the door would open. He was hoping she would return to the shop. She was so beautiful she seemed like a genuine person. He had to know more about her but for now; he had to focus on his work. It was all very strange and new to him; he had only spoken to the girl for less than five minutes and he was already waiting for her to return back to him.

Toby yawned and leaned against the counter. It was another slow afternoon. Last night had been extremely busy but the morning after, not so much and because of this, Toby decided to close up the shop for the day. He did usually close every other Friday anyway.

"Looks like I get the day to myself," Toby said as he threw the rag, that he cleaned the counter with, over his shoulder. At the same moment Toby walked out from behind the counter, the door opened. Toby looked up and saw her. Isabelle Marsden was standing before him. She had a black cloak, which had fresh raindrops upon it, over her dark blue dress that complimented her beautifully. Her blue eyes smiled at him.

"Mr. Ragg?"

Toby clumsily took the rag off his shoulder and placed it on the counter. "Miss Marsden?"

"Ah, so you do remember me?"

"Of course I do. You are quite unforgettable. I don't mean to sound like I am sending you away but, I was just about to close up shop but, I'd be happy to accept your company. It's raining anyway and I would not want you to return home ill."

"Are you certain, Mr. Raggs? If you were going to spend the afternoon to yourself tending to other things that are more important than me,perhaps I should-" Thunder shook the windows which startled the pair.

"May I stay?" Belle asked.

"Please," Toby chuckled. Belle removed her wet cloak and Toby hung it up on the hat rack in the sitting room. Belle followed him and looked around the room.

"This room is lovely," she complimented.

"Thank you, Miss Marsden."

"Oh, you may call me Belle," she smiled.

Toby smiled and leaned against the mantle. "Belle, you may call me Toby."

"Toby," she giggled. "I like that name. Well, Toby, I'm sure you're wondering why I strolled in here today. I wanted to talk to you. I'm somewhat curious about all these stories-" "And you want to know if they are true or not?"

Belle nodded. "If you are comfortable in discussing it all."

There was something about this young woman that made Toby feel like he could trust her with his life. He told her everything. He started from when he worked in the workhouse as a child, then to when he worked for Pirelli and up to the madhouse. He took out the gruesome details of Sweeney Todd's murders but he including the important things that were rumored. He told her about the human pies, and the bakehouse. The only thing he didn't mention was that he murdered Sweeney Todd. He would never want her to think of him as some cold hearted murderer but, he did do the world a favor by killing the man.

During the conversation, Belle never interrupted or looked appalled at Toby. She just listened, clearly feeling sorry for the poor boy. Her blue eyes held pity and longing to help him. "Oh, Toby, I'm so sorry. No one should have to go through what you have gone through. No one," she said once he finished.

"It was my fault for being so damn curious. I couldn't help it," Toby sighed.

Belle frowned and placed a hand on his hand. "It was not your fault, Toby. None of it was. Now, you never mentioned what happened for Mr. Todd."

"Oh, right, I didn't. Well, Mr. Todd sliced his own throat. I saw it all happen," Toby lied.

Belle gasped. "That's horrid! He must have been a terrible man," she glanced at the clock. "Oh, I'm sorry, Toby but I had promised to visit Madeline. I'm sure the rain won't be able to stop me." She took her clock off the rack and quickly put it back on herself.

"The rain has died down a bit," Toby said as he followed her to the other room and opened the front door for her.

"Ah, yes; it's not too bad," she turned to him, "Thank you for allowing me to spend time with you and thank you for talking to me. I assure you, your story will not pass my lips."

Toby smiled and kissed her hand. "No, thank you, Belle, for keeping me company and listening."

Belle felt herself blush and walked out the door. "Goodbye!" She called out and quickly walked on till he could no longer see her. Toby sighed and closed the door gently behind him. Something told him that she would be back very soon.


	3. Chapter 3: The Ongoing Storm

_**Hi, everyone! I want to apologize on the lack of attention I have put on this story. I simply did not have the inspiration to write it for a while and that was quite upsetting because I have so many ideas for it. Now, I have gained back all inspiration for this story and am eager to continue writing! Thank you for your patience and expect new chapters! I hope you enjoy this one! ~ Anissa**_

* * *

Belle, drenched from the rain, pounded at the door of the Garwood's. When she had left the pie shop earlier, there was a light drizzle of rain and now the rain was beating down on her.

A rather elderly man answered the door; he looked surprised to see her standing there.

"Oh, Roberts!" She cried, "I'm so sorry, I'm late! I was caught in the rain and it delayed my arrival. Can you tell Madeline that I have arrived?" "Of course, Miss Marsden," the old butler replied with a short bow. He opened the door wider and let her go inside the house. Belle quickly walked in and waited by the front door.

"I'll go find her," Roberts said as he left the room. Seconds later, Madeline came into the room.

"Belle, where on earth have you been?" She asked with a hint of anger in her tone.

Belle straightened her stance. "Caught in the rain," she simply answered.

Madeline crossed her arms over her chest. "You're an hour late. Look at you! You've made a puddle on the floor beneath you and around you! I won't be surprised if you catch something serious from this," she scolded. Madeline wanted to be angry at her friend; Belle _had_ caused dinner to be an hour later than usual but, when she saw apology written all over Belle's face, she just couldn't be angry with her anymore. Instead, Madeline decided to forgive Belle and bring her into the drawing room.

"Our guest has arrived," Madeline announced as she walked into the room with Belle at her side.

Phillip glanced over at her and stood from a chair when he saw Belle. "Miss Marsden," he smiled.

Belle nodded at him and returned a smile, "Hello, Phillip. I'm sorry about the delay. I'm sure you were both very anxious to start dinner."

Phillip was a very handsome man. His eyes were hazel and his hair was darker than the night sky. He was very tall, as well; taller than Toby, Belle thought. What caused Phillip and Madeline to fall in love, she doesn't know. When Madeline had first introduced Belle to Phillip, he was an extremely quiet man, quite the opposite of Madeline but, she supposes, despite their differences, they complement each other and she saw that they loved one another very much.

"And we still are. Did you decide to take a swim somewhere and not invite us?" Phillip asked. Belle's cheeks flushed red from embarrassment, "No, I-" "Oh, Phillip, you're quite comedic today!" Madeline interrupted with a giggle. "Why don't you wait near the dining room and I shall take Belle upstairs and get her into some better dinner attire," she said.

Phillip nodded and the two women left the room and went upstairs.

"Thank you so much for lending this to me, Madeline," Belle said as the two descended downstairs. Madeline had given her a light pink dress to wear and had disposed of the ruined drenched one she came in wearing. Madeline had also helped fix up Belle's hair since her blonde curls were ruined from the rain. She looked better than she had before and for that she was grateful.

"You're welcome. You may keep that dress if you wish, I haven't worn it in ages and don't suppose I ever shall again." Madeline told her before meeting Phillip at the last step. Madeline smiled and followed the two into the dining room.

"Ah, that was a fantastic dinner," Phillip said as he stared at his now empty plate.

"It was certainly worth the wait," Madeline said.

"Most definitely," Belle agreed.

Madeline looked over at her friend, "I would like you to tell us the truth of why you were late this evening. The rain could not have slowed you down that much; if anything, I would imagine it would have exhorted you."

"_You're always so damn nosy," _Belle wanted to say but decided to tell the truth, "I was at a shop," she said.

"Which shop?" Phillip asked.

"Mrs. Lovett's Meat Pie Emporium," Belle said quickly. She heard a gasp from Madeline. "Why were you there?" She asked, begging for an answer.

"I just wanted to have another look inside and introduce myself to the owner."

"You and had already done that," Madeline said suspiciously.

Belle gave a quick glare to her friend, "I just wanted to find out more about the shop's history."

"Anything interesting?" Phillip asked.

"No," Belle answered and at the same time, Roberts walked in. The three had told him they were done eating and retreated to the drawing room, where the conversation had continued.

"There is a darkness within that shop," Phillip said as he intertwined his fingers with Madeline's as they sat.

Belle was looking out the window into the dark streets. "I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean, Phillip."

"What I mean is that it's not exactly the safest place for a young woman to go alone."

Belle turned away from the window. "And why?" She inquired.

"For one thing, you shouldn't be alone in there with the owner, no matter how nice he may seem," Madeline suggested.

"And," Phillip began, "I don't know what secrets of the past he could have told you earlier but whatever it was, it wasn't the truth. Demons of the past dwell in that place. I remember passing by it when I was younger and feeling the dourness of it all. It's dangerous there."

"Mr. Ragg is not dangerous," Madeline protested.

"He was locked in a madhouse for ten years. Who knows what those years have done to him? He saw something he shouldn't have seen or he did something and it drove him mad," Madeline theorized.

Belle was becoming angry. She knew the truth, Toby had told her everything she had wanted to know but she did have a tiny hint of doubt that he had purposely forgetting to tell her something.

"People are being thrown in the mad house all the time when they're perfectly normal. That system is all corrupted, you know that," Belle said.

Madeline sighed, "Yes, but- never mind. It's late and I think you should stay the night. One of the bedrooms upstairs is prepared for you."

"Yes, thank you; I had told my aunt that I was to stay the night with you. Well, I am very tired so I think I shall go upstairs. I shall have breakfast with the two of you tomorrow and be on my way home. Goodnight," Belle said as she began walking out of the room.

"And no more visiting that shop! I'm concerned for you," she heard Madeline say.

Belle turned back to them before exiting the room, "Thank you for your concern and I won't visit the shop tomorrow, I promise."

"You may not visit the shop tomorrow but what about the next day?" She heard Phillip asked when she was out of the room. She did not answer him, instead, she quickly went upstairs.

Belle sat in bed as she stared out the window. The lightning had begun to crash after the thunder bellowed outside as her mind kept on wandering to the notorious pie shop and Tobias Ragg. She didn't understand why her friends were so concerned for her. She had spoken to him; she had felt comfortable being with him, she knew he trusted her and she did not feel fear when she was with him or when she was in that shop; what other people felt, she did not know but she knew they were wrong. Toby was never insane and the past had been forgotten.

Belle yawned as she lowered her pillow and lay back down in bed, still facing the window. She hadn't noticed the trees across the street outside of the window before. They made a ghastly shape in the dark. She thought they looked like distorted monsters that ate people up in stories she used to hear on dark stormy night when she was a child. One of the trees had branches that looked like horns, which caused her to remember Phillip's words of the demons of the past within Toby's shop. She didn't want to believe all that nonsense, thought. She brushed that thought aside and watched the trees sway like ghosts in the night.

"Tobias Ragg is a good man," she whispered out loud but, right after she said that, the lightning outside crashed and formed a horrifying, distorted shadow on the wall of the building behind the trees that caused Belle to let out a frightened gasp. She leapt out of bed, pulled the curtains over the window, quickly ran back to the bed, trembling in fear. She felt like a young child, afraid of their own horrible nightmares, but no one would come to comfort her, not a soul.


	4. Chapter 4: A Night Full of Spirits

"Thank you for the pie, Mr. Raggs. It really was the best," the old man said as he shook Toby's hand.

Toby smiled graciously, "Oh, thank you, Mr. Simons. Do tell the Mrs. I said hello," Toby said to him.

"That I shall do," Mr. Simons said as he left the shop.

Toby smiled as he went back to tending to his remaining customers, which were quite a few. It was an early evening on a Sunday night and he was surprisingly very busy. All the customers praised him for the food they were served. Toby was indeed a good cook and that made him feel proud.

Once that wave of customers left, he closed up the shop for the night. When everything was cleaned up and put away, he went upstairs to his room, which was once Sweeney Todd's barber shop. He walked in the room, that was filled with darkness, and quickly lit the candles around the room. When it was dark in that room, he could feel spirits lingering in there but when it was light, he felt everything was at peace.

He walked over to the window and looked out into the night. It wasn't completely dark outside yet, due to the light of the moon. He wondered where Isabelle Marsden was. She had been at the shop two days ago and he had felt comfortable enough to tell her everything; almost everything. Did his story scare her away? Did she find him to be a liar? He wasn't sure what she had thought of him by this point but he was certain that she would have visited him again yesterday but, he was wrong. And now it was Sunday, another day had gone by without seeing her. Would she ever come back to see him? Most likely not, he thought.

He looked down into the street and could not believe his eyes. It was as if Heaven had heard his thoughts. There, walking towards the shop was Isabelle Marsden. Her pace was quick and he decided to be even quicker and ran out of the room and went downstairs on the side of the shop. He ran up to the gate that separated the restaurant from the street and called out to her.

"Belle!"

Belle frantically looked around her and then she saw him leaning over the gate trying to get her attention. She ran up to the gate and was standing before him. "You're already closed, aren't you?" She asked.

"I'm afraid we are, Miss," Toby teased. Belle chuckled and gave into his teasing, "You'd turn away a young lady at this hour of the night?"

"Being that I am such a kind man, I shall allow you to come in. Wait here," Toby smiled and went inside the shop to open the door.

Belle walked in when he opened the door and he quickly closed it behind her.

"Can I help you with anything?" Toby asked as he led her into the other room where they has spoken before. "Oh, I just wanted some company," Belle replied as she looked at the mantle.

"At this hour?" Toby asked in disbelief. "You don't have anyone at home to have as company?" He asked.

She sat down in the same seat she did last time, "No," she replied.

"Oh," Toby said. He sat across from her and looked at her. He'd been dreaming of those heavenly blue eyes and her beautiful blonde hair. Something had brought her here tonight and he was determined to find out what it was.

"I just realized that I know most about you but you don't know much about me," Belle said to him.

"I'd like to know more about you," Toby said anxiously. "Start wherever you please," He said as he got up to get a glass of gin for her and himself.

"I suppose I should start from the beginning then," Belle thought out loud as she watched him.

Toby sat down and gave her a cup of gin. "The beginning does sound like a good place to start."

"Well," she began, "My mother died when I was very young so I really don't have any memory of her." "I'm sorry," Toby said. Belle smiled at him, "Thank you. My father always was a very busy man but very successful. I don't really recall him ever being at home during the daytime so my aunt came to live with us. My aunt Elizabeth and my father never really got along so you can imagine how hectic is was when they would argue. I was too young to understand what they would argue over, anyway. Ten years ago, when I was almost nine years old, my father didn't have to work one day and since it was almost my birthday, he told me he was going to go out and get me something special after he takes care of some other errands and then spend the rest of the day with me. I was so excited for when he would come home because this would be one of those rare days where it would just be bonding time with him…", Belle's voice trailed off.

"And then what happened?" Toby asked.

"The morning went by very quickly and then the afternoon came and went and soon it was early evening. He still wasn't home. Aunt Elizabeth and I had dinner without him and then it was almost 11 o'clock. I was sent to bed and my aunt went out to go find him with an officer. They returned early the next morning, without my father. He was missing. My aunt thinks that he was murdered but there was no body found."

Toby frowned. "And what do you think?"

Belle looked up at him with sad blue eyes, "I don't know. He is gone, though. I'll get off this dour part of my life. So, my aunt stayed with me but now that I'm older, she doesn't feel the need to be home a lot since I can take care of myself. She now is at a party every other day. Tonight she's at some gala and since home was boring and the maids don't care, I left to come here for a while."

Toby smiled; flattered that she chose to spend the evening with him than anywhere else. "I'm glad you're here."

"Thank you, so am I," Belle said as she looked at the cup of gin. Toby noticed that she was trying to figure out what was in the cup he had served her earlier.

"Is there problem, Belle?" He asked.

"No but, I'm sorry, I'm not entirely sure what you've served me," Belle admitted, feeling quite embarrassed.

Toby marveled at his cup of gin. "Gin. I quite like it. I've been drinking it since I was a young boy working at the work house. It puts me to sleep fast, though. Be careful."

_Do I dare? _Belle thought.

She raised her cup of gin. "I'll try some."

Toby grinned and raised his cup, as well. "To gin and friendship!" He cheered.

"To gin and friendship!" Belle repeated giggling. There cups clinked as Toby laughed then took a rather large gulp from his cup. Belle decide to do the same. She quickly raised her cup to her lips and took a giant gulp. That was a rather bad idea because it nearly caused her to choke.

"Are you alright?" Toby inquired, laughing. Belle's eyes were watering and her face was red, but she was smiling.

"Oh, I'm wonderful," she replied with a hoarse voice.

"I'm guessing you didn't like it," Toby teased.

"It wasn't good but it certainly wasn't bad," Belle smiled. Once the two were finished with their drinks, Toby brought the bottle into the room so they can have more, which they did. They not only finished that bottle but they finish half of a second bottle. Soon, the two lost control of the time and everything around them.

An hour and many laughs later, Belle was giggling as she lay on the floor; she had fallen off of the chair she had been sitting on while Toby was telling a rather humorous story that happened to him in the asylum and her laughter had caused her to fall from her seat. Since she kept on laughing, she didn't even bother to get up again. Now, it was her turn to tell her story that she was almost nearly finishing.

"Then I screamed when Aunt Elizabeth put her new hat on because her hat looked like a stuffed puppy!" Belle burst out laughing. She was laughing so hard, she began to cry. "Oh, isn't that hilarious, Toby?" She asked, still amused with her story. Toby did not answer her. She slowly propped herself up and rolled over on her side.

"Tooooby?" Her speech was slurred and slow. She angrily huffed and stood up, almost falling over in the process. Toby, to her surprise, was asleep in the chair he was sitting in. No wonder he had stopped answering her about fifteen minutes before.

Belle swayed back and forth as she watched him breathe lightly. His hair was a mess and his shirt still had a spot that was soaked when he spilled his cup of gin when he was laughing too heartily. Even though he looked like a mess, Belle found him beautiful. Everything about him, she thought, was perfect to her. She smiled and looked around the room. In her intoxicated state, she felt adventurous and curious to her surroundings. When she had walked over to the shop earlier that night, she noticed the shop had a second floor where there was a panel of windows. She had a feeling it was Toby's room but she was extremely curious to see what it was like in there. She remembered there was an old barber's pole on the side of the shop next to the staircase. Was that truly the mad barber's room?

She staggered into the front of the shop and out the door. The cold night air filled her lungs as she slowly made her way to the staircase. The steps seemed to float before her but she made her way up the steps without any problem. She was glad that the door wasn't locked so she quickly went inside the room and closed the door behind her. The room was filled with light from the moon so she was able to manage her way around. She saw Toby's bed on the far end of the room near a few candles that looked like they just went out, for they were still smoking.

Belle looked behind her and saw a barber's chair near the window. It was placed in front of a barber's station with mirrors and drawers. She went up to the chair and sat in it. It was quite comfy and she felt as though she could fall asleep right there. She stood up from the chair and turned around to look at the station, she opened drawers but there was nothing of interest in them. There was something that caught her eye in the last drawer she opened, however. Something was wrapped in a dark cloth. As carefully as any intoxicated person can, she unwrapped whatever was inside of the cloth.

It was a barber knife, silver with a detailed handle. "How lovely," she said out loud as she began to sway with it in her hand. She looked up at her reflection in the mirror. She saw herself holding the shimmering knife in her hand. She also saw someone behind her. She gasped and, still swaying, leaned closer to the mirror. There was a dark figure near the edge of the room and it was moving towards her. She turned around quickly but there was no one there.

Everything around her was becoming blurred and she felt weak all of a sudden. She breathed slowly and turned around to look back into the mirror and she saw the dark figure was standing directly behind her. The figure's throat was slit and his eyes were filled with despair. She screamed and dropped the knife but when she dropped it, the blade cut her hand. She screamed louder because the figure was now smiling at her and then everything blurred even more and faded to black.


	5. Chapter 5: The Morning After

Belle awoke the next morning in the seat she was seated in the previous night. She rubbed her eyes and noticed her right hand was bandaged up with a cloth.

So, last night wasn't a dream.

"Toby?" She called out. She wondered if Toby had heard her scream from upstairs and had gone up to see what was wrong, that would explain why she was here.

"Good morning," Toby said as he entered the room. He looked exhausted. "I have quite a headache," he admitted.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Belle smiled, remembering all the gin the two had had the night before.

Toby sat down in the seat across from her, "That's alright. Anyway, what happened to you? I woke up this morning and you were gone and when I went upstairs, I saw you on the floor and your hand was bleeding. I also saw a barber knife on the floor near you. So, I brought you back down here and bandaged your hand up."

"Yes, thank you for that. I don't remember all that happened but I remember going upstairs and seeing the barber knife and something happened that caused me to faint," Belle confessed, trying to remember the cause of her fainting.

"It was probably because you sliced your hand. Any deeper and that cut would have been very dangerous for your health." "No, no, it wasn't because of that…" Belle said, still deep in thought.

Toby shrugged and stood up, swaying a tad bit as he did. "If that's what you think. I have some breakfast waiting for us," he said as he went into the front of the shop.

"Oh, wonderful. Thank you!" Belle smiled as she followed him. "Maybe eating something will help me remember better."

The two split a meat pie and very much enjoyed it. Toby told her about how the pie was made and where he bought all his ingredients. He enjoyed taking in all the compliments from her. Soon after they finished eating, it was time for Belle to say her goodbyes.

"Oh, I hope my aunt isn't home or is still asleep. I'm so sorry to have intruded on you like this. I was only planning to stay for an hour or so," Belle said as she put her cloak on.

Toby helped her with her cloak, "Oh, no, if anything it was my fault. I'm the one who brought out the gin, anyway," he laughed.

Belle giggled, "That you did. I do not regret staying here, though. I enjoyed your company."

"I enjoyed your company, too, Isabelle. You're quite funny," Toby teased.

"As are you. I don't think I've ever laughed that much before in my entire life. I felt so alive!" Belle exclaimed.

"And I felt the happiest I ever have been," Toby confessed, which caused Belle to stare at him with a look of, what was it, Toby thought; was it longing?

Toby stared into those beautiful blue eyes and returned the stare. Belle's lips parted.

"Thank you for everything, Toby," she said, almost in a whisper.

Toby couldn't fight it anymore; soon both hands were on Belle's waist. He pulled her closer to himself and he placed his lips on hers. Belle returned the kiss and ran her un-bandaged hand through his hair while the other was placed gently on his shoulder.

After a few breathtaking moments, the two pulled away and gazed at one another.

"I don't regret anything either," Toby smiled.

Belle almost squeaked; she felt so giddy, but she kept her composure. "Maybe I shall stop by tomorrow?"

"I'd like that. You should return home, I don't want your aunt to forbid you from leaving the house," Toby said as he opened the door for her.

"Oh, you're right! Goodbye, Toby," Belle smiled and went to the door, but something stopped her from leaving. "Toby!" She exclaimed and turned to him.

"Yes?" Toby asked, wondering why she had a look of surprise on her face.

"I think I remember what caused me to faint," she began. "When I looked in the mirror, I saw a dark figure behind me and his-his throat was sliced open, I think. He looked like the devil, himself! His was covered in blood and his eyes looked thirsty for revenge!"

Toby's heart almost stopped. "Are-are you sure?" He asked.

Belle nodded. "I think it was only my imagination but, I didn't know my imagination was capable of thinking of something so evil!"

"Yes, we do tend to surprise ourselves," Toby muttered.

"Don't worry about it, Toby. Maybe the gin made me hallucinate and oh, I really must be going!" Belle said when she remembered her aunt.

Toby nodded, "Tomorrow then."

"Yes, tomorrow," Belle smiled, giving him a quick kiss before she quickly went across the street. He watched her until she turned the corner, then he ran upstairs to his room.

Toby's breaths were short and quick and he ran up those steps as fast as he could. He opened his door and then locked it behind him.

"It can't be," he muttered. He spun around to look at all angles of the room; no one. Toby was the only one in his room.

_The mirror. _

Bella had told him she had seen the figure when she looked in the mirror. Toby went to the barber station and looked at his reflection in the mirror. He only saw himself.

"She was probably dreaming," he thought out loud and placed a hand on his head. His head was aching even more now so, he decided to take a much needed nap before opening up the shop. His nap was not filled with peacefulness, though; instead, it was corrupt with the memory of the night ten years before…

* * *

Belle peeked through the curtains of her house and saw that the drawing room was empty. Her aunt was always in the drawing room and the fact tat she wasn't there at that moment meant she wasn't home. Belle let out a breath of relief as she softly knocked on the door. The butler and maids knew how to keep a secret and they obviously knew that Belle hadn't come home. She hoped desperately they didn't mention anything to her aunt.

The butler, Mr. Josephs, opened the door. "Miss, where 'ave you been?"

"I was out," Belle said and walked in the house. "Is my aunt home?"

Before Mr. Joseph's could answer, she heard the unexpected voice.

"Yes, I've been home."

Belle froze in place. "You have some explaining to do. Come with me into the drawing room," her aunt said, walking into the drawing room.

Mr. Joseph gave Belle a look of sympathy. Belle's aunt was a woman of understanding but when she was unhappy, she was _very_ unhappy. Belle slowly followed her into the drawing room and sat down while her aunt stood by the mantel.

"I came home last night earlier then usual; it was half past ten. You are rarely ever asleep at that hour so I took a peek into your bedchamber and you were gone. The maids couldn't find you either. I had Mr. Josephs go to the Garwood's to see if you were there and they said you were not. I had no idea where else you may be." Her aunt walked a bit closer to where Belle was sitting and suddenly her face was contorted into a look of disgust.

"You reek of gin!" She gasped. "A young proper lady like you reeks of gin? Isabelle Eve Marsden! Look at me!"

Belle remained silent but looked at her aunt.

"Where were you? The truth would be quite refreshing." Aunt Elizabeth was as composed as she could be.

Belle straightened up and kept her head held high. "I was at Mrs. Lovett's Meat Pie Emporium and spent my evening with the owner, Tobias Ragg."

Her aunt had a horrified look on her face but Belle continued her story. "He is a dear friend of mine and I had visited him during the days before. I was bored here and you weren't home so, I decided to go to him because I very much enjoy his company. We know almost everything about each other by now and he is one of the kindest people I have ever met. He and I were talking and had a cup of gin but oh, it was just so grand! The stories we were telling were the most hilarious one's I have ever heard! We kept drinking and drinking and soon he was asleep and then I went snooping and had a little accident with a knife," she held her bandaged hand up, "Anyway, this morning we had breakfast together and then… Then I came straight home."

Aunt Elizabeth stayed quiet and paced in front of the mantle. "Is that the truth?"

"Yes."

She stopped pacing. "Are you sure that's all that happened? He didn't ruin you and try anything?"

"No! He would never. He is very much a gentleman," Belle protested.

"Isn't he the one that was in an insane asylum?" Her aunt asked, once again, horrified by the thought.

Belle shifted in her seat. "Yes, but he didn't deserve to be in there. He was just a scared, lonely child."

"Are you're in love with him?"

Belle was taken back by her question. "I've only known him for-" "And does he love you?" Belle looked at her in disbelief. "I'm sorry, but I was expecting you to be so much angrier with me."

"I am angry with you. I am angry that you got drunk last night and that you spent the night with a man, that I don't know, even if nothing happened; but, I can see that you have feelings for him and that he probably does for you. Do you think he would be able to join us for dinner tomorrow evening?"

Belle wanted to grab her aunt and asked what had happened to the real Aunt Elizabeth but, this _was _the real Aunt Elizabeth.

"You better not be jesting with me," Belle warned.

Aunt Elizabeth laughed, "Oh, dear, you have a face of the utmost disbelief if I ever saw one! I am not jesting with you, I am quite serious. I need to meet the man who has taken the interest of my niece. You cannot return to his shop tomorrow, though. That is your punishment."

Belle frowned. "How is Toby supposed to know about dinner then?"

"I will send Mr. Josephs to the shop to give him he message."

Belle excitedly stood and ran to her aunt to hug her. "Oh, thank you, Aunt Elizabeth. This is too good to be true! I hope I am not dreaming!"

"I hope I am," Aunt Elizabeth muttered. "Please go have the maids prepare you a bath; I do not want the scent of gin all over the house."

Belle smirked. "Of course," she smiled as she left the room.

Aunt Elizabeth sighed and sat down. What was she getting herself into? Despite her negative thoughts towards Tobias Ragg, she decided to give him a chance.


	6. Chapter 6: The Dinner and The Dream

It had been two days since Toby had seen Belle. She hadn't returned to him the previous day like she had promised but he was not angry with her, he simply had the thought that her aunt found out and had forbade her from leaving for house for sometime. He prayed it wouldn't last long and that she would be back.

In the late hour of the morning, Toby wasn't expecting many customers so, when he heard the door open, he was surprised. An older man came walking in and Toby realized that he had never seen him before.

"Hello, sir," Toby said from behind the counter. "Can I help you with anything? Care for a pie?"

The old man shook his head, "No, thank you, son. I came to deliver a message," the old man fumbled through his coat pockets and pulled out a letter. He placed it on the counter in front of Toby.

"Oh, thank you," Toby said as he opened the letter.

"The Madame was worried that you couldn't read. She was going to 'ave me read it to you!" The man laughed.

"Oh, I learned a while ago," Toby smiled and looked down at the letter.

_Tobias Ragg,_

_ It has been called to my attention that you and my niece have the gull to spend time with one another without a single soul knowing it. I am not sure how long this has been going on but it needs to cease at this very moment. I refuse to allow my niece to spend her days alone with a total stranger whom I know nothing about- but, I am willing to let her spend time with someone who I am well acquainted with. I believe my niece very much enjoys your company and I can't help but think you feel the same way. For this very reason, I am inviting you to spend this evening with us in our home. Dinner will begin promptly at six o' clock. I expect you no later or I will forbid Mr. Josephs to open the door for you. _

_ ~ Ms. Elizabeth Marsden _

"Do you think you can come to dinner?" Mr. Josephs asked when Toby finished and had set the letter down.

"Of course! Tell her thank you for the invitation," Toby said.

Mr. Josephs gave him a quick bow. "I will, sir!" And soon, Mr. Josephs had left.

Toby took the letter and went into the other room and did, what looked like, a dance of happiness.

_Wait! Does this mean I am courting Isabelle? And all I need is her aunt's approval? _Toby thought. He was unsure of his and Belle's situation but whatever it was, it was just going to get better from here if he made a good impression to her aunt.

Toby decided to close up shop so he can spend all day preparing for the dinner. He ran up to his room with the biggest grin on his face. Once he was in his room, he began ransacking his wooden chest filled with his clothes; there weren't very many. He began to become frustrated when he realized that he had nothing that would reach Ms. Elizabeth Marsden's standard of what was dinner attire and what wasn't. He did find something that would have to do, though. He found a black vest, a white shirt for underneath and a pair of black trousers. The nicest shoes he had were his black leather boots. When he put his outfit together, he thought he looked presentable for dinner and that's exactly how he wanted to be.

Belle quickly went downstairs so she can check the time for the fifth time in the past hour.

"Isabelle, do not run! If you fall down, you'll be sorry," Aunt Elizabeth warned when she heard heavy footsteps descending down the stairs.

"Sorry!" Belle said as she hurriedly skipped into the drawing room to see the clock. It was half past five.

"Don't skip around either; your dress is far too long, you may trip and greet him with a black eye," her aunt said.

Belle sighed and looked down at her dress. She had chosen a lovely shade of blue that matched her eyes and looked well with her blonde hair, which was in a lovely up do with strands of curls falling on the side.

"You look nice, Isabelle." "Oh, thank you, Aunt Elizabeth. I hope he thinks so, as well," Belle blushed.

Toby stood in front of the door, motionless. He had suddenly lost all confidence in himself and couldn't even get himself to knock on the door. He did not want to let Belle down though, so he closed his eyes tightly and knocked on the door, prepared for whatever was to come.

The familiar Mr. Josephs answered the door. "'Ello, Mr. Ragg!"

"Hello, Mr. Josephs," Toby greeted, smiling because he just noticed that the old man had the same cockney accent that Mrs. Lovett had.

"The ladies are in the drawing room. I'll announce your arrival. Follow me." Mr. Josephs told him as he began walking. Toby nodded and followed Mr. Josephs slowly because he was in awe of the house. He noticed that the staircase railing had carvings all along the sides and the walls held portraits that he thought only existed in churches. Then again, this _was _the first time he had been in someone's house. Maybe all upper class had paintings like that.

Mr. Josephs stopped abruptly in front of a door way and announced, "Mr. Tobias Ragg is here."

Belle shot up from her seat and saw Toby standing next to Mr. Josephs. She thought Toby was the most handsome man she had ever laid eyes upon. Aunt Elizabeth could never feel the same way. She was already horrified with his outfit of choice because never in all her years had she seen a man show up to dinner wearing an old, worn out looking coat, vest, shirt and trousers. She thought his boots were horrendous, as well. She saw that he did have an attractive face and his hair was styled nicely so, she admired his effort in that, at least.

Toby wanted to run up Isabelle at that very moment and shower her with compliments on how beautiful she looked. He used common sense, though and went up to her, bowed, kissed her un-bandaged hand and told her that she looked beautiful beyond words.

Belle giggled. "Thank you, Toby-""_Ahem_!" "Oh, thank you, Mr. Ragg," Belle corrected when she heard her aunt's _ahem _of disapproval.

"You're welcome, Miss Marsden," Toby smiled and turned to Belle's aunt. "You must be Isabelle's aunt. It's a pleasure to meet you and thank you so much for the invitation."

Aunt Elizabeth merely smiled and began walking out of the room. "Shall we all make our way to the dining room?"

"Oh, yes," Toby answered and held his arm out to Belle, who gladly took it.

"So, Mr. Ragg, tell me, is business well?" Aunt Elizabeth asked Toby, who was seated across from her next to Belle.

Toby finished cutting a slice of ham for himself and answered, "Business is wonderful. Since I reopened the shop, I've been getting a lot of business. Customers from all over London come just to have one of my pies," he said proudly.

Aunt Elizabeth wasn't impressed. "And how much do you make?"

Belle's knife skid across her plate, making an awful sound, as she cut a piece of ham. "Aunt Elizabeth that is certainly not a question one should ask," she muttered.

Brushing aside Belle's comment, Aunt Elizabeth continued to question Toby. "Well?" She asked, waiting for her answer.

Toby, who was already uncomfortable, answered confidently. "I make more than enough to get by."

"Good answered," Belle whispered to him with a smile.

"I thought so," Toby whispered back.

"And where do you live? Surely you don't live far from here. Isabelle never mentioned you had a home because the times she spends with you had been in the shop," Aunt Elizabeth asked as she took a sip of her wine.

"It's because the shop is home," Toby simply stated.

Aunt Elizabeth almost spat out here wine. "What?" She asked in utter disbelief.

"The shop is my home. The pie shop downstairs has the front room where the counter is and from that room, you can go to the outdoor seating area through the side door and then there's also another room which you can say is like my own personal drawing room. The barber shop is upstairs and it's a very large room so the far end of the room is where my bed and belongings are," Toby explained.

"I see…" Aunt Elizabeth muttered.

"This is a lovely house, by the way," Toby complimented.

"Oh, thank you."

Aunt Elizabeth was silent the rest of dinner and instead, watched Toby and Belle chat back and forth and laugh quietly with one another about who knows what. She could see that they fancied one another but she wasn't sure if she approved of the idea of Isabelle ever marrying him if he asked and it wasn't just because of Toby's social status or living conditions, it was also because she saw darkness in him. She didn't know why she felt that why but something told her that there was something off about this man. It was something that could be potentially dangerous but then again, she could be wrong.

"Well, I hate to rush off and leave such lovely company but I'm afraid I have to go," Toby announced as he stood from his spot next to Belle in the drawing room.

Belle stood, "It was a wonderful evening, Toby,"

"Indeed," Aunt Elizabeth said as she stood from her seat.

"I enjoyed myself very much. Thank you for everything," Toby said as he walked to the front door. Mr. Josephs had been holding the door open for him since Toby announced his leave.

"I'm sure we'll see one another soon, Mr. Ragg," Aunt Elizabeth said as she quickly went upstairs. "Isabelle, come along!"

"Oh, coming!" Isabelle said. She turned to Toby, "Goodbye, Toby," "Goodbye, Isabelle," Toby smiled and walked out the door, saying his goodbye to Mr. Josephs on the way out.

Toby walked away from the house grinning like a fool. He was in love with Isabelle Marsden. So in love in fact, that he heard her voice saying his name with each step his took.

"Toby! Toby, wait!"

Oh, maybe he wasn't imagining. He turned around and saw Isabelle running after him and before he knew it, she was in his arms and was kissing him. He returned her kisses with kissed filled with passion and longing. When the two pulled away, they were both breathless for air.

"You're aunt could very well be watching us from a window," Toby said with a breathy laugh.

"Oh, I honestly don't care right now," Belle smiled.

"Well, I do because I don't want her locking you up in the house for all eternity,"

"Oh, I supposed you're right. Goodnight, then. I shall try to see you as soon as I can."

Toby smiled and kissed Belle once before she ran back to her house. Toby happily made his way home and drifted off into a deep sleep.

"_Help!"_

Toby turned and saw Belle staggering over to him.

"_Belle! What's wrong?" _He said, running up to her. She stared at him and was trembling and suddenly, her dressed was covered in blood and she collapsed to the ground.

"_Isabelle ?!" _He screamed and knelt beside her. Then, a darker figure appeared behind him. Toby angrily turned around, knowing who it was.

"_Why would you do this?!" _Toby screamed at the figure.

The figure grinned and spoke with the low sinister voice that had haunted Toby since he was a child, _"I did not do this, boy. You did." _

"_I would never do this! It was you! You murdered her just like you murdered Mrs. Lovett and everyone else!" _Toby cried but then, he felt something in his hand. He slowly looked down and saw a bloody barber knife in his hand and realized his shirt was covered in blood; Belle's blood. Frightened even more, he threw it across the room. Toby sunk even lower to the ground and buried his face in Belle's blonde hair.

"_I would never do this to anyone! I am not you, Sweeney Todd!" _He hysterically cried.

The figure spoke, _"Ah, that is what you think, Toby. What you don't realize is you are becoming me. Slowly but surely, those you know will slip away …" _

"No!" Toby screamed as he awakened. He was breathing heavily and was covered in his own sweat.

"Oh, God," he breathed as he lifted the covers off of him and sat at the side of his bed. His hands were trembling just as they were in his dream, which felt far too real and he hated himself for allowing his mind to wander off into an evil place such as that. He sat in silence for a few minutes and tried to clear his mind. Once he composed himself, he lay back down in bed and closed his eyes, praying earnestly to not have another dream similar to the one before.


	7. Chapter 7: Meet Me at the Park

_Hello, everyone! I apologize for the short length of this chapter (I was in somewhat of a rush for this one) but I do hope you enjoy it. More chapters are coming very very soon and unfortunate events will soon unfold and I'd love to know what you think so far. Happy holidays! :) ~Kaity_

* * *

"When do you suppose he'll propose to you?"

"I already told you, Madeline; I don't know," Belle answered as she entered a small dress shop. Madeline followed; all day Madeline had been pestering Belle with questions about her courtship with Toby. Belle and Toby had been courting since the dinner at Belle's Aunt's home, two months earlier. Aunt Elizabeth had finally given in to allowing Toby to court her niece and possibly marry her. From that day on, Toby and Belle began spending much more time with one another and making small plans for their possible future together.

"Are you sure he can afford it?" Madeline pondered out loud.

"_Madeline!_" Belle groaned.

"Oh, right, sorry," Madeline apologized, "I'm sure he'll ask you soon," she said as she quietly rummaged through a stack of hat boxes.

Belle smiled to herself and slowly ran her fingers across a white dress. The dress was too simple to be a wedding dress but she could not help but imagine herself wearing it on that day.

"You would look lovely in that dress, Isabelle," Madeline suddenly was by Belle's side.

"Oh, thank you. I like it very much."

Madeline smiled and went back to the hat boxes. "Is something bothering you, Belle?" She asked.

Belle lowered her hand from the dress. "Why are you asking?"

"Well," Madeline began, "you've been somewhat quiet all afternoon and you look exhausted."

Belle straightened her posture and motioned to the door. Madeline nodded and sadly, put down the hat box to join her friend outside. The two walked away from the shop and stayed silent until they were no longer near people who could hear them.

"So tell me!" Madeline commanded anxiously.

Belle sighed and began to gather up her thoughts. "I have not been sleeping well lately because I keep having this reoccurring dream over and over again."

Belle could see curiosity written all over Madeline's face, so she continued. "This past week I've been having this dream that always starts off with me walking into this room, which is always too dark for me to tell where it is, and I just keep walking and walking under this dark shadowy figure can be seen approaching me. This continues until him and I are face to face and I cannot make out the features of his face until a flash of lightning occurs and I see him-" Belle stopped when she heard Madeline's gasp.

"What does he look like?" Madeline asked, more curious than ever.

"He's deathly pale but his face is always covered with…," Belle stopped.

Madeline began growing impatient. "With what?"

"With blood, Madeline! Someone's else, that's a fact. He has this wild look in his eye and oh, he's just so frightening. He's always grinning and me to and I wake up almost screaming every night!"

"Why on earth would you dream of something such as that?" Madeline asked.

Belle shook her head. "I don't know why, Madeline," she lied. Belle knew why the mysterious figure was showing up in her dreams; it was because of the night she went up to the old barber shop. She has not been able to get the horrid figure out of her mind.

"Well, hopefully that horrendous dream is no longer dreamt of by you. Let's get your mind off of that and return to my home, yes? I'll have some tea and cakes brought made for us," Madeline offered.

"Thank you, Madeline," Belle smiled. "That would be wonderful."

Toby sat anxiously in the drawing room of the Mardsen's. He thought he would be calm, but he was duped by his own expectations.

"Mr. Ragg," Aunt Elizabeth said as she walked in. Toby stood up and bowed. "Good afternoon-" "You are aware that Isabelle isn't here, are you not? She went out with Mrs. Garwood."

Toby nodded, "Yes, I am aware of that. I actually came to speak to you."

Toby could have sworn he saw the woman smile, as if she knew what he was going to speak to her about.

"Well," Aunt Elizabeth sat is the seat across from him, "let's hear it then."

This would be easier than Toby expected. "Well, the truth is, Lady Marsden, I am in love with your niece."

"And you think it appropriate to ask me if you may marry her or not?"

"Yes."

Aunt Elizabeth sighed and stood from her seat. "You know that I do not like the idea of my niece marrying into a lower class… Do you have plans to support yourselves?"

"Yes, we do. The income from the shop is more than enough," Toby explained.

Aunt Elizabeth was not satisfied with his answer. "And what if suddenly, business should become slow?"

"Oh, that won't ever happen, Madame. There will always be people in my shop,"  
Toby boasted. "I can provide for her. Please, Lady Marsden;I love her so much and I would do anything for her!"

"I know, Tobias Ragg, and for that reason, I am allowing you to marry my-" Toby shot up from his seat and ran towards Aunt Elizabeth and hugged her. "Thank you so much," he cried.

Aunt Elizabeth rolled her eyes and couldn't help but hug Toby back and then gently pushed him away from herself. "I wish you two the best of luck and a lot of happiness. When do you plan on asking her?"

Toby breathed a breath of relief because the worst was over and answered her, "Thank you. I'm planning on asking her next week."

That day could not arrive any quicker for Toby. Before he knew it, it was the fine Saturday afternoon that he had been anticipating. Toby and Belle had agreed to meet at a park near her home and, thankfully, Toby had arrived first. He anxiously fiddled with the simple ring in his coat pocket as he stood beneath one of the trees knowing that in a few moments, his soon to be fiancé would be arriving.

Belle was taken to the park by a carriage that her aunt requested for her. Belle knew that Toby was going to propose marriage to her at some point but she didn't really dwell upon the idea that it would be today, since they had gone to that park together before. She thought that this was going to be a brief walk in the park that would conclude with dinner at the pie shop or at her house, but this day would be different.

"Isabelle Marsden, will you do me the honor of becoming my..." Toby's voice came to a stop when he heard the sound of the horses trotting up the road. He had done all he could to prepare and there was no turning back now. When the carriage stopped at the side of the park, he took a deep breath and began walking towards the carriage at the same time Belle stepped out of the carriage, not expecting to be asked a life changing question.


	8. Chapter 8: Down by the Sea

"And how are you feeling today, Miss Marsden?" Toby asked as he walked back to the tree, arm in arm, with Belle.

"Quite well, thank you for asking," Belle answered with a smile.

Toby took Belle beneath the tree that he had been standing under while waiting for her to arrive at the park. The two sat beneath the tree and spoke for a little while and then began to take a stroll around the park. When they were almost finished with their walk, Toby felt it was the right time to ask Belle the anticipated question.

"Belle, I have something for you," Toby announced as he placed a hand over his coat pocket to make sure that the ring was still there.

"Oh? What is it?" She asked. Toby smiled and took her hand in his. "I have to talk to you about something very important first."

Belle gave him a playful pout. "Alright, let's talk then."

"Belle, you know that I love you dearly," Toby began.

"And I love you dearly, as well," Belle smiled.

"Yes, and remember once when we spoke about our plans for the future?" He asked and Belle nodded.

"How would you like to bring those plans to reality?"

Belle looked at him, slightly confused. "How Toby, we're not mar-…" Her voiced trailed off when she realized what she was about to say. Toby laughed and kissed her hand. "Isabelle Marsden, I cannot live life without you by my side. You accepted me when no one else ever cared to. You brought the light back into my life and made me hopeful for a brighter future. I am so thankful that you're in my life because you saved me. If it weren't for you, I'd probably be the lonely man who works in the pie shop that everyone fears. You are Heaven sent; you are an angel! I swear that I will always keep you safe and provide for you," He assured.

Belle felt her heart skip a beat and she pulled Toby against her and kissed him. "Of course, Toby! Oh, I love you so much," Belle sighed and she hugged him. Toby returned the hug and buried his face in her silky blonde hair.

"I love you, Belle. We're going to be so happy together, I assure you."

"We're going to run the shop together?" Belle asked excitedly.

"Yes, we are. We don't have to worry about working till after the honeymoon, though," Toby smiled. Belle pulled away from him so she could see him face to face. "And where are we going for our honeymoon?"

Toby kissed her forehead. "Anywhere you want, Belle."

Belle thought for a moment. Where has she always wanted to go? She knew Toby could not afford an extravagant trip but Belle had little desire to travel anywhere far from home. She then thought of the perfect place, which was the blue sea. Her father had always promised that he would take her, but of course, he had never gotten the chance to. She loved how mysterious the sea was. It was all so interesting to her, how the land of the earth had been discovered and claimed and yet the ocean was unknown to man. The ocean, filled with it's secrets, mystical creatures and monsters of the deep. Beneath the ocean waves was a world unknown but above the waves, that brushed along the shore, was where peace could be found and she wanted to experience it all with the love of her life. It was the perfect idea.

"To the sea side! We can stay in a little house down by the beautiful sea!" Belle sang happily. Toby's eyes widened in shock at her as she mirrored the words of Mrs. Lovett from so many years ago…

"_Down by the sea, married nice and proper. By the sea… To the seaside…By the beautiful sea!" _

Toby turned away from Belle and stared into the empty road in front of the park, suddenly he heard her voice everywhere.

"_Down by the sea…" "By the beautiful sea…" _

"Stop," Toby pled quietly.

Belle watched Toby with concern. One moment she was in his arms and the next he was turned around begging her to stop doing whatever she was doing.

"Did I say something wrong, Toby?" Belle asked as she slowly walked up to him. "Toby?"

"_To the seaside-" _"No!" Toby yelled at the voice and turned back around to face a frightened Belle.

Belle took a step back from him, "I-I'm sorry, Toby. I-I didn't mean to upset you."

Toby sighed and looked around him; the voices were gone and now he had ruined the moment for Belle. "No, Belle, I'm sorry. I was lost in a thought from the past and it…"

"Oh, yes, I understand now," Belle gave him a weary smile as she placed her hand on the side of his face, "We don't have to go to the seaside if it brings back bad memories for you."

Toby placed his hand over hers. "No, it's what you want and I want you to be happy. I would gladly do anything for you no matter what. I will do what I can to see if you and I may spend a few days to a week at a quaint little house by the sea."

"Are you certain?" Belle asked, unsure whether this was a good idea or not.

"I am most certain," He reassured her.

"Thank you, Toby!" Belle exclaimed.

"Anything for you… Oh!" Toby reached into his coat pocket and took out the simple wedding ring he had purchased for Belle. "How could I forget?" He asked himself and slid the ring onto Belle's finger.

Belle stared at the ring in amazement. "It's beautiful, Toby!" It may not have been the most extravagant engagement ring she had seen but it was even more beautiful to her because it was given to her by Toby and she cared more about the meaning of the ring than the looks.

"I'm glad you like it," Toby blushed.

"I love it!" Belle exclaimed and kissed him once more. Toby smiled and laid his head against hers. "I cannot wait to begin my life with you."

"And neither can I."

Not long after, talk of Belle and Toby's engagement could be heard through the melancholic streets of Fleet. The talk wasn't usually positive either. Neither Belle nor Toby could go out into town without hearing whispers or get a disapproving look from someone. There were those that welcomed the idea of the two being married and those whose scornfully disapproved. Belle would always be stopped by random women on the street who questioned her on why she would allow a man such as Tobias Ragg to marry her. She ignored their rude comments and continued about her day after telling them that it wasn't their business.

It had only been a month since they had gotten engaged and the plans were already set for the big day. Toby had been working very hard to earn as much money as he could so the wedding and the honeymoon would be perfect. He kept the shop opened later and earlier, which allowed more customers to come in. Soon, he was earning almost double what he usually does in a week, which meant that he could afford to rent the seaside house. He was determined to rent the house out for him and Belle no matter what memories it brought back to him. Whatever made her happy, would make him happy.

Toby was in the bake house, stocking up on meat from the butcher's when he heard something odd. He turned away from the oven and looked at the door. Someone was trying to get in. He wasn't expecting anyone and the shop was suppose to be closed for another few hours. Toby suddenly had the thought of it being a burglar of some sort and he was going to face him. Toby had no weapon to defend himself so he decided to take a risk and do the best he could.

He cautiously approached the door with an arm ready to send someone falling to the ground. He counted to three and quickly opened the door and saw someone he was not expecting to see.

"Mr. Ragg?"

"Mr. Garwood?" Toby looked at him curiously. Why was he here? "Are you and Mrs. Garwood here for dinner? We don't open until a few hours, you know that, don't you? The sign is on the door."

Phillip Garwood smiled. "No, actually, I came to speak to you about something. Madeline and Belle are out with Belle's aunt."

"Ah, they're wedding dress shopping, are they not?" Toby asked as he closed the door to the bake house behind him.

"Yes, I believe you are correct. So, I heard you wish to turn the upstairs into a barber shop, once again?"

"I do, yes. I need to fix things up, though. It's going to take some time." Toby answered. He had an uneasy feeling about Phillip Garwood at the moment and didn't want to say too much.

"Do you mind if I see upstairs? I'd be glad to help with any repairing the furniture may need," Phillip offered.

"That would be very kind of you. I'll take you upstairs then," Toby said and walked by him.

"Excellent," he heard Phillip say. Toby stopped walking and turned to him before continuing. "Why were you trying to get into the bake house?"

Phillip's expression stayed the same. "Oh, I was looking for you and I heard you from the front of the shop."

"No, no; that's impossible. It was silent when I was in the bake house and only noises that are extremely loud can be heard from there," Toby affirmed.

"Why does it matter anyway?" Phillip asked, changing the subject as to why he was trying to get in. "Do you have secrets in that bake house?" He gave Toby a cold look that Toby gladly returned.

"I have no secrets," Toby stated. "Follow me upstairs before I change my mind about letting you help me."

Phillip took one last look at the bake house before following Toby out the side door and up the stairs. For Toby, it seemed like almost an eternity when he finally reached the top of the wooden staircase and he hesitated before opening the door. He still had that very uneasy feeling and something in his mind told him that he had just made a very unfortunate mistake.


	9. Chapter 9: The Ill-fated Visit

Belle stepped out from behind the worn out curtain. "How do I look?"

Madeline gasped and stood from her seat. "Belle, you look stunning!"

Belle smiled and looked at herself in the mirror. She was wearing the simple white dress she had seen when she was in the dress shop before. It was going to be her wedding dress, even if her aunt despised it.

"I love it so much," Belle giggled and spun around in it.

Madeline looked at Belle's aunt, "Isn't it beautiful, Lady Marsden?"

Aunt Elizabeth gave them both a disapproving look. "We can afford a nicer dress. Madeline's dress was far more pretty and much more dazzling." Her comment made Belle frown. "But, I love this dress. The moment I saw it, I knew it would be the one I would be wearing when I married Toby. Please, Aunt Elizabeth? You can't keep making decisions for me when I'm about to start a life of my own. Madeline likes the dress, I like the dress and I'm sure Toby will, as well."

Aunt Elizabeth sighed and looked at her niece. She did look beautiful in dress but why settle for the that when she can afford so much more? Belle was right, though, she couldn't be the controller of her decisions but Belle was the only family she had left and any wrong choice of hers could lead to her downfall, leaving Aunt Elizabeth alone.

"Yes, you may have it, I suppose," Aunt Elizabeth said. Belle smiled and ran to her aunt to hug her. "Thank you so much, Aunt Elizabeth."

Aunt Elizabeth hugged her niece and took one more look at her dress. "Yes, I think it suits you well. It's your marriage and I suppose I should let you do something on your own for once," She smiled and then looked at Madeline. "Miss Garwood, pick a dress for the wedding ceremony. I'll happily purchase it for you."

"Oh, Lady Marsden, I could not possibly allow you to do that," Madeline said.

"Yes, yes. You're like a niece to me, as well. You and Belle have been the dearest of friends since you were young. If I say I want to purchase a dress for you, than I'm going to do just that," Aunt Elizabeth stated.

Madeline happily went to Aunt Elizabeth and hugged her, as well. Belle smiled at the sight; two of the most important people were going to be part of her wedding ceremony and for that moment, everyone would be happy.

After Belle changed out of the white dress and back into the dress she was wearing before, she went to the front of the shop with Madeline to look at dresses for her. Madeline made her way to a lovely light blue dress and held it against herself.

"That's a beautiful dress. Is that the one you want?" Belle asked as she admired the dress along with her friend.

Madeline smiled, "Yes, I think I'll get it. I love the color. Thankfully, I won't be showing that much by then so, it'll still fit me," she said in a rush.

Belle gave her a puzzled look. "Showing what do you mean-," and then she realized, "Oh! Madeline, are you expecting?" Belle asked.

Madeline nodded happily. "I am." Belle almost squealed with joy and hugged her dear friend. "Oh, that's wonderful news, Madeline. I'm so happy for you. Does Phillip know?"

"Thank you! No, no, Phillip doesn't know yet. I think he's suspecting it, though. He's been very suspicious of me lately with that sort of thing," Madeline laughed. "I'm planning on telling him tonight."

"Oh, Madeline, that's wonderful!" Belle marveled.

"Thank you, Belle. Now, let's show this dress to your aunt."

Aunt Elizabeth took a great liking to the dress that Madeline chose and happily purchased for her, along with Belle's wedding dress. After their visit to the dress shop, Aunt Elizabeth went back to her home to get ready for some dinner party she had to attend, so, Belle went to Madeline's house to help her with some minor dress alterations.

"That's odd…" Madeline muttered as she entered the house, with Belle.

"What's wrong?"

"Phillip should be home. He was home when I left. Though, he did say something about going out on an errand or something like that. Maybe he went to get those shoes of his shined," Madeline said, recalling what was said hours before.

"Oh, well, there; no need to worry," Belle smiled and set the dress box on a table.

Once Belle was finished helping Madeline with her dress, she chose to stay since Phillip had not yet arrived. The two women sat in the drawing room patiently waiting.

"Thank you for keeping me company, Belle," Madeline said as she lifted the curtain to see out of the window.

"Oh, of course. Once Phillip arrives, I'll be on my way out. I don't think I'll visit Toby tonight since the shop become's extremely crowded during dinner. He works so hard and I admire him so much for that," Belle replied.

Madeline turned away from the window and eagerly faced Belle. "So, do you think you and Toby will have children? Have you talked about it?"

"No, we haven't talked about it, actually." It was rather odd that they hadn't actually spoken about it. Her and Toby spoke about anything and everything but that subject.

"I'm not sure," Belle began, "I'm not sure if Toby wants children, actually."

Madeline made a face; she adored children and the thought of someone not wanting children confused her. She ignored the thought. "We'll see what the future holds for you both… Where is Phillip?" She groaned.

Belle shrugged. "He'll be here soon, I'm sure of it."

"I hate not knowing where he is."

* * *

Toby watched as Phillip examined the barber's chair. He had been very suspicious of everything as soon as he entered the room, as if he were trying to find something.

"It's a fairly large room," Phillip said as he looked around. "I can see why you use it as a bedroom and storage for your belongings, as well."

"Yes, it is. Once I re-open this room as a barber shop, I'm going to move my belongings downstairs to the smaller empty room for Belle and I," Toby explained.

Phillip smirked and slowly strolled to the window. "And how do you think that will turn out, Mr. Ragg?"

Since Phillip was turned away from him, Toby took that to his advantage and began to slowly walk toward the barber station. He was better safe than sorry. "What do you mean?"

"Your marriage with Miss Marsden. No one approves of it, you know that, don't you?" Phillip inquired.

Toby slowly opened a drawer and picked up something covered in a cloth. "I think our marriage will go just fine. I love Isabelle, you know that. I don't understand why people disapprove of it," he said.

"They think you're dangerous. I mean- obviously at one point you were; why else would you have been locked away in a mad house? If you were innocent in this whole mess of murders, you would have been sent to a family or someplace that would be of benefit to you," Phillip said, slightly turning away from the window.

Toby quickly tucked the barber knife beneath his coat sleeve. "How do you know about that?"

"Who doesn't know, Mr. Ragg?" Phillip asked, rather darkly.

This was not the Phillip that he had been introduced to a couple of months before. It couldn't be. This man, who was the husband of Belle's best friend, was becoming someone else entirely right before him.

"What do you want, Mr. Garwood? I don't think you came here to help with anything. Tell me the real reason," Toby commanded.

Phillip faced the window once more and was silent for a few moments. "When I was a child," he began to speak, "I came here with my father. The whole town was raving about the skills of a barber named Sweeney Todd."

Toby cringed when he heard the name and Phillip continued. "My father had come for a simple shave and left me below in the pie shop. He gave me a small amount of money to go and spend it on what I wanted and I did just that. I was out of the shop for, what I say was about fifteen minutes, and I returned. You were in the shop, at that time. You were sweeping the floor. I asked you if my father was still in his appointment with Mr. Todd or if he had left and you said you didn't know," he paused.

Toby did remember that day when a boy, a few years his senior had asked about his father. He had answered truthfully when he said he did not know.

Phillip faced Toby now, on the opposite side of the room. "So I went home and told my mother, and she begins to panic. She wouldn't last a year after that. We wait and wait but father never comes home. Then, we begin to hear that men from other families are disappearing when going off to run a few errands. Afterwards, I hear that Judge Turpin, Beadle Bamford, Mr. Todd and the owner of this shop were killed in an accident in the bake house. What I don't understand is why all four of them were down there at once. Oh, and the rumors of the human pies, those aren't rumors, are they? It's the truth, isn't it? Sweeney Todd murdered my father and you knew!" Phillip was yelling now.

Toby took a step back as he began to fear this man. "I swear to you, I knew nothing," Toby affirmed.

"You obviously did if you were living here! How could you not have been aware? Did you not hear the screams? Did you not wonder why the customers never came back down from upstairs?" He fumed.

"I was never allowed up here unless Mr. Todd requested me to deliver a letter or something for him! I did not know about any of this until I saw it with my own eyes and before I could say anything, it was too late! They were going to kill me, I swear it! I was going to go to the law!" Toby yelled back, watching Phillip's every move.

Phillip slowly began walking closer to Toby. "I don't believe you, Mr. Ragg."

"Then I can't help you. Please, go now before I send for the police," Toby said as he opened the door.

Phillip soon was at the door and closed it. "If you send for the police, you'll be the one who will be taken. They'll believe me when I tell them that you had part in all those murders. All I have to do is remind them that you were in the asylum and they'll take you in an instant," he warned.

Toby, once again, began backing away from the man. "You wouldn't."

"No, I wouldn't; they might release you from the asylum again and we'd be right back where we started. My father is dead because of what was done here and I believe that is how Isabelle Marsden's father died, as well. He left one day to go on a simple errand and never came back."

Toby's expression became one of shock. He recalled what Belle had told him about the day her father had gone missing. It all made sense to him now. Sweeney Todd had indeed, murdered her father. The father of his future wife was murdered right above him. He suddenly felt sick.

"Yes, I can see you think so, too," he heard Phillip say.

"I had nothing to do with those murders, though!"

"Maybe you had something to do with the death of the judge? Or Beadle Bamford? Sweeney Todd? Mrs. Lovett?" Phillip interrogated him.

"Judge Turpin and Beadle Bamford were the first people I saw dead, along with some other woman. I was locked in the bake house because I found out Mr. Todd had murdered someone that I used to work for. They locked me in the bake house and kept me there until they decided to come and try to kill me. I hid in the sewer and watched as Mr. Todd killed Mrs. Lovett and then when he was caught off guard, I killed him myself and that is the truth!" Toby was almost in tears now. He hadn't said the complete truth in so long and he tried so hard to forget it all and now, it was all vivid in his mind as if it had happened yesterday.

"So you were trying to protect the future victims by killing him?" Phillip asked, sounding almost completely calm again.

"Yes," Toby blurted out.

"That's a good idea," Phillip muttered and opened his coat to take something out of the inside pocket. It was a pistol. Toby's heart began to race as soon as he caught sight of it.

"Why do you have that with you?" Toby asked, feeling stupid for doing so.

Phillip looked at him. "Why do you think I have it? I'm going to use it to prevent future murders committed by you."

Toby was horrified. "What? I would never-" "You say that now. You've been exposed to too much death, Mr. Ragg. You've been in an insane asylum. Much of what you believe happened could have been much worse than what you think happened. Your guilt could have made you believe you didn't do anything worse than what you had already done. You can't be trusted nor allowed to put others in danger. Belle can find someone else!"

Before Toby could argue against him, Phillip has his hand around his neck and had him against the wall with the pistol hear his head.

"Stop!" Toby yelled.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Ragg," Phillip said as he pressed the pistol against Toby's head. "You're putting yourself in danger, along with Belle, her aunt, my wife, me and even the entire town. It has to be this way," he said angrily. "Those that Mr. Todd murdered must be avenged!"

"They are," Toby gasped as Phillip's hold on his neck got tighter. "You're insane, Phillip! This isn't you!"

"No, it isn't! It's the side of me that contains all my anger and hatred towards the people who killed my father. I may seem like a quiet and calm man but I have just been waiting to have my revenge," Phillip cried; he was beginning to shake and his strong grip around Toby's neck was beginning to become weak.

"Phillip, you don't need to do this, please!" "But I do!" Phillip thundered as his grip become tight once more. Out of the corner of his eye, Toby could see that Phillip was going to press the trigger and soon.

"Goodbye, Mr. Ragg," Toby heard as he took his barber knife from out of his sleeve, since both his arms were free. He only had seconds to carry out what had to be done.

Toby squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath. "Good bye, Mr. Garwood," he said as he lunged the knife into the man's throat.


	10. Chapter 10: A Deed Most Dreadful

"That does it," Madeline stood from her seat. "I'm going out to search for him."

"Madeline, he may be on his way right now," Belle said after her friend bolted out of the room and up the stairs.

"And what if he's not? Wait there while I get my blue coat," Madeline ordered. Belle sighed and leaned on the staircase. She had been waiting with Madeline for almost an hour and Phillip had not arrived home.

"Madeline, we won't even know where to begin searching for him. It's getting late, too. We should wait a little while longer; it's safer than going outside," Belle said as Madeline made her way down the stairs with her coat on. Madeline looked at the clock and turned to Belle. "I'll wait one more hour. If he is not back within that hour, we are going on a search and we are informing the police that my husband has gone missing," she stated.

Belle nodded. "Hopefully there will be no need for that."

* * *

"Oh, God," Toby quaked as he dropped his bloodied barber knife and fell to his knees. In front of him lay the brutally stabbed body of Phillip Garwood.

"What have I done?" He asked himself. It had all been a blur to him. Phillip Garwood was going to kill him, Toby was sure of that and he had to defend himself. Toby remembered lunging the knife into the man's throat more than once until he fell to the floor. Toby had lost all control a soon as he began. He had not been thinking; every move he made was out of fear and now that Toby saw the outcome of his actions. At that moment, he wished he were the one dead.

When Toby realized he was kneeling in a pool of blood; he had to get rid of the body. He would have to find a place where he can secretly take the body but he couldn't just bring the body downstairs without being seen. He would have to wait until it was dark. Toby had a large wooden chest that was empty near the wall, so he decided to place Phillip in there until he could move him. Toby hesitated before dragging the man's body across the floor, leaving a trail of blood behind him; he would have to clean all of that up before the shop opened.

It took Toby a couple of hours for him to leave his floor without a trace of blood. He had also changed out of the clothing he had been wearing, which was now stained with blood. All looked normal once more but Toby's mind was racing. The feeling beyond guilt and regret drained his body of all energy he had had earlier. Images of what he had done previous repeated over and over in his mind, causing him to become fearful of his own self. This was not what happened to Toby when he killed Sweeney Todd. He felt no guilt after he had done because, he believed, he had done the world a favor. This time, it was different. He felt hatred toward himself and even towards Phillip for having given him reason to have to kill him. He felt angry, broken and confused with himself and the world around him but, those feelings would have to be very well hidden if he was going to open up the shop tonight for dinner.

* * *

"Thank you, officer," Madeline said after she gave the officer a description of Phillip. An hour had passed and Madeline was done waiting. Belle had accompanied her through the town, asking if they had seen Phillip; no one had seen him. Their searching continued for quite a while until they went to the police. An officer took down Phillip's description and agreed to be on the look out for him and to question anyone if they looked suspicious. The officer believed that Phillip was preoccupied elsewhere and may still return home that night but Madeline felt in heart that something was terribly wrong and Phillip would not be home that night.

Belle and Madeline quickly returned to Belle's home and told Aunt Elizabeth of Phillip's disappearance. Knowing that this wasn't normal behavior for Phillip, Aunt Elizabeth was shocked at the news told to her. She offered to return to Madeline's home to take stay with her for the night and morning in which, Madeline accepted. Belle would join them later once she went to the pie shop. She and Madeline had not yet questioned Toby since he was busy on evenings but something told Belle that he may have some idea of where Phillip was or if he had seen him. Once Aunt Elizabeth and Madeline left, Belle went to see Toby.

"Are you alright, Mr. Ragg?" Mr. Morgan asked when he saw Toby shakily set the pie in front of him. Toby looked at the man and laughed, almost nervously.

"Of course I'm alright, Mr. Morgan. Why do you ask?"

Mr. Morgan looked at him. "You seem anxious this evening, almost frantic. Look at you, you're shaking," the man said pointing to Toby's trembling hands. Toby quickly put his hands behind his back and shrugged his shoulders.

"To be honest, I haven't eaten much today since I have been so busy, er- cleaning," he said. It wasn't a lie either.

Mr. Morgan nodded. "Ah, I understand. You best get to eating something then, Mr. Ragg."

"I will as soon as my customers are satisfied and gone. Excuse me," Toby smiled and went to attend the customers at another table.

The mouthwatering scent of the meat pies had filled Belle with hunger when she was a block away from the shop. She was grateful when she finally saw the shop from across the road and practically ran to it. She walked in through the side gate and was greeted with smiles or hard looks from guests who looked up to see her. She saw Toby talking to an elderly couple at the far end of the table and went to join him.

"Toby," she smiled as she gently placed a hand on his arm. Toby turned from the couple and was surprised to see Belle before him.

"Belle? What brings you here?" He asked.

"I know you're busy but I only wanted to inform you about something rather important. I can wait till you're not busy, though. My Aunt Elizabeth wants me back at Madeline's before it gets late, though," Belle explained.

"Oh, of course," Toby nodded.

"Is this your fiancé?" The elderly woman asked. Toby looked back at the couple and smiled. "Yes, she is. This is my fiancé, Isabelle Marsden. Belle, this is Mr. and Mrs. Bailey," he introduced.

Belle smiled and greeted the two. "Pleasure to meet you."

Mr. Bailey nodded. "Pleasure to meet you, as well, Miss Marsden." "Oh, Mr. Ragg, she is very beautiful," Mrs. Bailey complimented.

"Thank you," Toby and Belle said at the same time.

"You two are going to be very happy together," Mrs. Bailey continued and looked at Belle. "Mr. Ragg is a very good man. He cares very much for you and is very hardworking,"

"He is. I am very proud of him," Belle agreed.

"One of the nicest lads I know," Mr. Bailey chimed in.

" _And the nicest boy you know has a dead man locked in a chest upstairs," _Toby thought to himself. He felt his hands begin to tremble again and suddenly, the cool breeze from the night air was suffocating him.

"Thank you," Toby blurted out quickly. "I'll be right back; Belle needs to ask me something," he said as he placed a hand on Belle's waist to gently pull her away from the table.

"Oh! Goodbye, then. Lovely meeting you two," Belle smiled and went inside the shop with Toby.

"What is it that you wanted to ask me about?" Toby asked as he glanced out the door to see if all his customers were alright without him.

"Phillip's is missing," Belle answered.

Toby's eyes widened when he heard her and kept his body turned away from her so she could not see his expression.

"That- that's not good. I haven't seen him, at all. No one knows where he is?" His palms were getting clammy.

Belle shook her head. "No, unfortunately. Madeline is extremely worried. She had plans for this evening and now, they've been ruined and I'm afraid she's going to make herself ill."

_Madeline. _Toby had not even thought about how this would affect her. He killed -no, butchered - the love of her life. He, himself, ruined her happiness forever. He felt sick.

"I can't even begin to imagine how she feels," Toby muttered.

"We still think he has been busied elsewhere and that he will return but, I have a horrible feeling about it all. One must stay positive, yes?" Belle asked, sounding unsure of herself.

"Yes," Toby answered, still facing away from her.

"Madeline is expecting, as well. She was planning on telling him tonight but…" Belle couldn't continue.

Toby's heart felt as if it had just been stabbed but, by some miracle, it was still beating. He could feel it, even hear it and he wondered if Belle could hear it, as well.

"She is?" Toby croaked and finally turned to Belle.

Belle nodded, almost in tears. "Yes," she ran into Toby's arms. "Toby, I feel so horrible! There's nothing I can do to help bring him back if he really is gone and I don't want to see my dear friend this way. The child will be fatherless," she cried.

Toby hugged his fiancé and almost felt like crying with her. "I'm sure there is still hope. She still has her own family and you, along with your aunt," he said, trying to comfort her.

Belle nodded. "She does. I'm sorry for bringing these news to you. I know you're busy, I should have waited," she said, pulling away from him.

"It's perfectly fine. I should be returning to my customers, though. I don't want anyone to leave without paying," He smiled, trying to lighten the mood.

Belle managed to laugh. "Oh, yes, you're correct. I'll return to Madeline's then," she said as she brought herself back in front of Toby and kissed him. "Goodnight, Toby."

"Goodnight, Belle," Toby sighed as he watched her leave.

"I am a damned man ," he agonized as he opened the side door and returned to is customers.

* * *

Belle entered the house and saw that all was dark except for a faint light in the drawing room. Someone was still awake and whoever it was, seemed to be waiting.

"Is that you, Belle?" She heard Madeline ask.

"Yes, it's me," Belle answered as she walked into the drawing room. Madeline was sitting in a chair in the corner and from the faint light, she can tell that she had been crying.

"Your aunt is asleep upstairs. Did Toby know anything about Phillip's disappearance?" She asked.

"No," Belle sighed.

"Of course. Isabelle, this all reminds me of when your father went missing," Madeline said.

Belle gasped. It was, indeed, _very_ similar to the day her father disappeared. Except, her father was dead, according to Aunt Elizabeth, while Phillip may still be alive.

"My father is dead," Belle stated.

"And you don't know the cause. You say he was murdered? What if Phillip was murdered?" Madeline cried.

"I don't know, Madeline. I don't know what happened and stop imagining the worst possible outcome!" Belle's tone of voice was getting louder and louder out of frustration.

Madeline stood. "What did Toby say?"

"He said he has not seen him and he's sorry that this is happening. He was quite flustered this evening; I suppose it was because he was quite busy," Belle noted.

"Flustered was he? Odd. He's never flustered. When the shop is full of people, he's usually very calm. Are you sure he didn't lie to you?" Madeline inquired.

Belle gave her friend a look of shock. "Toby would never lie to me about something such as this, Madeline."

Madeline shrugged. "He has a dark past, Belle. He has a dark mind and I'm sure it's full of secrets. It is said that the man who lived in that house with that woman was a murderer! They both were and Toby lived with them! I'm sure it all affected him since they were practically like his parents. Every young boy wants to be like the important father figure in his life," she intimated.

Belle wanted to yell at her best friend for making those horrible accusations of Toby but, when she looked at Madeline, all she saw was a fragile woman, who was terrified and broken hearted about the fact that she may have to continue life without her husband by her side.

"Madeline, I know that what you're feeling right now is causing you to feel helpless and I assure you everything will be just fine. I cannot believe that you would accuse Toby of such a horrible act. He isn't like Sweeney Todd, at all. He's different, trust me. He's my fiancé, Madeline. Do you think that I would marry a murderer? You're tired, anxious and flustered. You need to go upstairs and get some rest before you start saying worse things. I'm only saying this because you're my best friend and I care for you, Madeline."

Madeline looked her friend in the eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry, Belle."

"It's alright," Belle said with a small smile.

"I'm sorry that you're so ignorant," Madeline retorted and swiftly left the room, leaving Belle alone in the dark for the night.

The following day brought a dark sky over London, along with it's companion, the rain.

Belle was alone in the dining room, eating breakfast when Madeline came downstairs to join her.

"The police have not arrived yet?" Madeline asked as she sat across from her.

Belle shook her head. "No, not yet," she answered and returned to finishing a slice of bread. She heard Madeline clear her throat and looked up at her.

"Belle," Madeline began, "about what I had said last night, I'm so very sorry. I was not well. I'm just so worried and-" "It's fine, Madeline. I understand. I didn't take offence to what you said. I knew you would feel better today," Belle smiled.

Madeline sighed from relief. "Oh, thank you, Belle. I know Toby is a good man and I was just trying to think of things that could have happened to-" "I know," Belle interrupted. "All is forgiven; we speak of it no more. Today, we only focus on trying to get Phillip home safely."

"If we can."

* * *

Toby emerged from the bake house, sweating, partially from the heat of the furnace and partially from the nervousness and guilt from the action he just did.

All night he had been awake in bed, trying to come up with ways of how to get rid of the corpse that was rotting away in the wooden chest near his bed. He couldn't bring the body downstairs without having a nosy neighbor question him about it. He couldn't drag the body over to the graveyard to bury him and he could not just leave the body anywhere he pleased in London. His final decision was to use the furnace in the bake house. It would be gruesome and horrible of him to do so but it was the only way of saving himself. But how would he get the body down to the bake house?

The chair.

The chair had always seemed a bit odd to him and when he discovered the trap door beneath it, he knew that was how he would get rid of Phillip. He carefully took out Phillip's corpse and place him in the barber's chair. Disgusted with the sight of the gruesome body, he quickly stepped on the pedal which allowed the chair to lean back and help the lifeless body through the trap door through the floor. Toby shivered when he heard the horrid _crack_ as the body hit the floor of the bake house.

When he was in the bake house, he quickly lit the furnace and dragged the body over to it. He was careful when he pushed the body into the furnace so as he would not go along with him into the fire. He hurriedly closed the furnace door and had to pause for a brief moment. He had now gotten rid of all evidence. Phillip Garwood was gone. He would have no proper burial, never see his wife again and never hold his own child in his arms.

"God, help me," Toby cried and fell to his knees, trembling like he did when he was a young boy. In his heart, he knew he could never forgive himself but he had to continue life as usual. He was to be married and was to have his own family to protect but how can he protect those he loved when he can't even protect himself from his own mind and actions? He felt hopeless.

Toby stayed on the ground, muttering about his damned soul, until the smell of burning flesh and the sewer made him feel sick. When he left the bake house, he went upstairs to his room and locked himself there. He stared at his reflection and hated what he saw. He had dark circles underneath his eyes from the lack of sleep he received last night. His hair was wild and his eyes were red. His detestable appearance could be easily improve but his detestable actions would stay and they were never to be told to anyone. It would be his own dark secret that would weigh him down for the rest of his life.


	11. Chapter 11: Married Nice and Proper

Time passed by quickly for the two soon to be newlyweds but, obviously, each passing day was different for them both.

Each day for Belle was filled with both joy and sadness. A month had passed and everyone had accepted that fact that Phillip was, indeed, gone. Madeline was left heartbroken and Belle and Aunt Elizabeth had to visit her frequently until her own family could travel from the countryside to be with her. The funeral was held two weeks after Phillip's disappearance but, there was no coffin for his body since it had not been found. The funeral concluded at the cemetery where a small plot for a memorial was made, exactly the way it was done for Belle's father. Madeline visited the small memorial everyday for the rest of that month until her visits were less and less frequent. She realized that Phillip was not there at that memorial, and even if he was, it would only him physically and she also realized that, spiritually, Phillip was always with her. The thought brought back some warmth into her smile and some joy back into her lonely home. Seeing Madeline somewhat happy again allowed Belle to continue on with finalizing the wedding plans as normal. Toby was rarely included in certain areas of the plan making since she knew that he had been working extra hard to provide for their new life.

Partially, that was true; Toby had been working very hard for his marriage but he was also trying to avoid Belle so that she may not see that he was still frantic about what he had done. He didn't want her becoming worried or suspicious of him. He didn't even attend Phillip's funeral for that very reason. He made up an excuse that he was feeling ill and had a very busy evening ahead of him. Belle was a bit upset with him that day but soon, all was forgiven.

As the wedding day approached, Toby's dark thoughts slowly seemed to leave his mind but he knew that they were there, lingering. They were just waiting to return with the power to have him commit another act of evil, once more; he knew this, as well.

Everyday, Toby had to stop what he was doing to gather up his thoughts so he can at least go through his day without being reminded of the gruesome day; but it failed. All he could tell himself was that he was a damned murderer and was unworthy of anyone's love.

Every night, Toby prayed for his soul and Phillip's soul. He prayed that Phillip's soul would not come haunting him in the darkest hours of the night and by some miracle, it hadn't. Soon after, his mind was devoted to the wedding closely ahead of him. It would be the day would he would finally be at peace with the one he loved and that is the way it would always be.

At least, he hoped.

* * *

Toby, who was patiently waiting in a small room in the chapel, stared at himself in the mirror and was actually pleased with his appearance. His dark circles were gone, he looked well rested and, he looked ready to take on life. His hair was done very neatly and he felt like a proper gentleman in his outfit. As tradition, Belle had chosen his outfit for him. He was dressed in black trousers, a white waistcoat, cravat and a black dress coat along with a black top hat.

"My, my, you are looking very spiffy these days, Tobias," he heard a familiar voice say. The reflection of the person was blurred in the mirror, but Toby already knew who it was just by the accent.

"Porter?"

Porter smiled at Toby and took his hat off. "Long time no see, aye?"

Toby chuckled. "A very long time!" He said as he ran to his friend and hugged him.

"How are you? Why are you here? Are you still at the asylum? Did they release you?" Toby asked, eager to hear the answers.

"Now, now, now, Toby! Too many questions makes my 'ead 'urt! Sit yourself down," Porter insisted. Toby humored him and sat on the small chair in the corner of the room. Porter then answered his questions.

"I am very well, thank you. I am not released from the asylum, I was simply allowed an afternoon's leave, they call it. An officer is here watching me. The dolt don't trust me," he explained.

Toby frowned. "I see. I'm sorry about that. How did you know about my wedding, though?"

Porter grinned. "Some pretty little blonde came asking for me, saying that she wishes for me to be present at yours and her weddin'. She's a pretty little thing, your fiancé."

"Belle remembered you from when I told her," Toby said to himself, blushing at the thought of his future wife being so caring that she would go out of her way to visit that horrid asylum just to be sure that he would have at least one friend witnessing their marriage.

"That she did," Porter nodded. "I'm very proud of you, my friend. You have your life back on track. You deserve 'appiness."

Toby stood. "Thank you, Porter. Now, I have a favor to ask you; will you be my best man?"

"Of course! I would be honored!"

* * *

"I'm so honored to be your maid of honor," Madeline said as she walked out of the chapel room with Belle.

"And I am honored that you accepted," Belle smiled, lifting her pure white dress as the two descended down the stone steps. The day that Belle had been dreaming of had finally come. She hardly slept the previous night out of anxiousness and excitement, which showed the next morning from the tired look on her face. Her blonde hair was half up and was held together by a simple white ribbon. She had gotten the dress she had wanted from the dress shop: it was the simple white one and her shoes were simple, as well. She hadn't wanted an extravagant wedding since family members that were available or family that lived in the country were scarce. So far, the only members of the congregation that would witness the marriage were: Aunt Elizabeth, Madeline, Porter, a few of Toby's customers, such as Mr. and Mrs. Bailey, and the officer who was in charge of watching Porter.

"Are you ready?" Madeline eagerly asked as she handed a bouquet of blood red roses to Belle.

"Yes, I am," Belle said, exhaling nervously as she took a peek in the small chapel. She saw Toby nervously swaying near the small alter and was talking to Porter as he waited.

"Well, I'm going to go in, now. I'll tell the minister that we are ready to being, yes?"

"Oh, yes. Thank you, Madeline," Belle thanked.

"You're welcome. Good luck," Madeline said, winking. Belle then walked up to the alter and told the minister that they were all ready to begin the wedding.

Since Belle had no male figures in her life to give her away at her wedding, the procession was to be of only her. When she heard the faint sound of the piano from within the chapel, she nervously walked down the aisle. Less than ten people were watching her but she still felt like she was going to faint before them. When she was in front of Toby, she anxiously placed her hand in his and joined him in front of the alter.

Toby had never seen a woman that was more beautiful than Belle was at that moment. There she was, standing before him in her simple, yet beautiful wedding gown. She was smiling at him and blushing as he smiled back at her.

The minister began the ceremony with a few words and some readings followed by the vows. The minister began by asking Toby:

"Tobias Ragg, do you take Isabelle Marsden to be your wife? Do you promise to love and comfort her in sickness and in health? Do you promise to forsake all others and keep her as long as you both shall live?"

Toby nodded. "I do."

Belle took a deep breath as her turn approached. The minister asked, once more:

"Isabelle Marsden, do you take Tobias Ragg to be your husband? Do you promise to obey him, love him and keep him in sickness and in health? Do you promise to forsake all others and keep him as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

"That's a relief," Toby teased quietly, which caused Belle to giggle.

The minister cleared his throat to gain the young couple's attention.

"Now, repeat after me, Ms. Marsden. You shall say your vows first and place the ring on Mr. Ragg's left hand," the minister said. With the help from the minister, Belle was able to repeat her vows perfectly and place the ring on Toby's finger. Now, it was Toby's turn.

"I Tobias Ragg, promise you, Isabelle Marsden, that I will love you. I promise to have and to hold you from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and health, to love and cherish you until d-" Toby stopped.

The minister looked at Toby and when he saw that Toby wasn't going to speak anytime soon, he reminded him of what was to be said.

"Death, Mr. Ragg," he murmured.

"I-I'm sorry?" Toby asked, suddenly becoming flustered.

"Death, Toby," Belle whispered, looking worried. Toby nodded and straightened up, trying not to think of the image of death in his mind.

"Until death do us part," Toby blurted out and placed the ring on Belle's left ring finger when he calmed down.

"Very good," the minister groaned. "I now pronounce you man and wife."

Before Toby could register the words, Belle was already giving him his first kiss as his wife, which he gladly returned. When she pulled away, Toby happily walked with her down the aisle in the midst of the echoes of the few claps they received from the small congregation. All were invited to a brief luncheon, that was to take place at Aunt Elizabeth's house, following the wedding. Toby and Belle took their own carriage while the others followed.

* * *

"I am so sorry that your name is Ragg," Toby teased as the carriage went on.

Belle kissed him and laughed. "I wouldn't want any other last name but Ragg," she said and sighed, resting her head against his shoulder.

"Did I tell you that a house by the sea is waiting for us?" Toby asked. Belle looked up at him. "Really? You were able to rent it?"

"Indeed, I was! We're going to be staying there for a week. After the luncheon, we shall leave right away so that we can be there by nightfall. I had your aunt pack up all your things. Half of them are at the shop and the rest are in the carriage for our honeymoon."

"Oh, Toby! That's wonderful! I'm so excited. It's going to be wonderful, I'm sure," Belle smiled. "Thank you."

"Anything for you," Toby said, kissing her again.

The luncheon at Aunt Elizabeth's house was a fairly small one. Toby, Belle, Madeline, Porter, and Aunt Elizabeth were the only ones in attendance but that didn't stop them from enjoying themselves. When the luncheon was finished, Toby announced that he and Belle had to leave in order to get to the seaside.

"Well, I hope you two enjoy your trip," Madeline said as she hugged Belle and Toby. Toby flinched slightly when he hugged her because he realized that he was the reason why her heart was broken and why she was probably crying throughout her lonely sleepless nights.

"Thank you, Madeline," Toby said, giving her a sad smile.

"When I return, I shall help you start making plans for the baby," Belle smiled at her friend, who was obviously expecting, at this time.

"Oh, I'd be grateful for that," Madeline smiled and then moved to the side so Porter could now say his goodbyes.

"Thank you so much for attending, Porter," Belle said as he kissed her hand.

"Thank you for invitin' me, Mrs. Ragg. It was nice gettin' out of that asylum for a day such as this," Porter laughed. Toby hugged his friend. "It was very special to have you here with us, Porter."

Porter smirked. "Oh, thank you. You two 'ave fun, alright? The sea side is very romantic and I know since you're both married now, you obviously-" "Porter, her aunt is listening," Toby whispered as he nervously smiled at Lady Elizabeth, who was watching.

"Oh!" Porter blushed. "My apologizes, mum."

Lady Elizabeth ignored his apology and waited impatiently for Porter to leave so that she could then speak to Toby and Belle.

"Well, I'll be gettin' back now. The officer is waitin' for me in the carriage across the road," Porter announced as he opened the door.

"Oh, I'll walk you over," Toby told him. "I'll be right back, Belle," he said as he left the house.

"Isabelle, you should get to your carriage," Aunt Elizabeth said.

"Oh, yes. I'll wait for Toby there, then."

Aunt Elizabeth walked Belle to the carriage that her and Toby were going to leave in. Before Belle was in the carriage, Aunt Elizabeth spoke to both her and Toby, when he came back.

"I want you both to remember that whenever you need me, I shall be here. I wish happiness and luck upon your marriage," Aunt Elizabeth said; Belle could see she was getting teary eyed.

"We love you," Belle smiled as she hugged her aunt.

"I love you, too," Aunt Elizabeth cried happily as she embraced her niece. "Toby, as well," she laughed.

"Oh, you flatter me," Toby smirked.

When they were done saying their goodbyes, Toby and Belle got into their own carriage and waved as it began to leave Belle's old home behind. Now, she was to live at the pie shop with Toby and begin a whole new life with him. Before that, though, the two were to spend a glorious week by the sea.

"When will we be arriving?" Belle asked as she looked out of the carriage window.

"Hopefully in a short while," Toby replied.

A "short while" turned into a few hours which gave the two time to talk and laugh, with a few kisses in the quiet moments. In the early evening, the carriage took them through an old village, where Belle saw sailors gathering around an old pub. She could smell the ocean already. The carriage continued out of the village and passed by a long wooden bridge that led to a large white building. Couples were walking on the bridge in the moonlight enjoying their evenings and looking down into the mysterious ocean.

"Toby, can we come to this bridge sometime this week?" Belle asked.

"Of course we can, darling," Toby smiled. "We can do whatever you wish. We should be arriving at the house in a few minutes."

"Wonderful," Belle sighed. She was becoming excited and anxious for their arrival and when she began to see the houses along the shore, she almost squealed with excitement. The houses were each painted a light color and there was a small distance between them. Each had a porch that faced the rolling waves of the ocean in the close distance.

"Which one is ours?" She asked.

"The one at the end. It's the farthest away from all the other houses," Toby said.

Belle looked out the window and could see a house farther ahead. The moonlight revealed that it was a lovely shade of light blue and it almost looked larger than the other homes they had passed.

"Is it that one?"

Toby looked out of the window with her. "Yes, that's it."

Within minutes, the carriage had stopped near the house and Belle nearly ran out to see it.

"Oh, Toby, it's so quaint! I love it!" Belle exclaimed.

"Don't go in the house without me," Toby laughed as he brought their small luggage out from the carriage. "Let me just pay the driver," Toby said.

"Alright," Belle smiled and went to the porch to wait for him, taking in the ocean air as she did.

When the carriage had left the two at the house, Belle quickly opened the door and went inside. Toby followed, carrying their luggage.

"I adore it!" Belle cried clapping her hands together and she admired the small front room. A dining table was set in the middle of the room and was decorated with orange flowers. The walls were a light yellow, that matched Belle's hair and each wall had a portrait of a sail boat or the shore during a sunset. Belle excitedly walked further into the house, enjoying the sound of the faint creaking the wooden floor made whenever her or Toby would move. There was a small room which, she guessed, was used for entertaining guests. There were lovely velvet seats in a circle around a small table, which had more flowers placed on it. Behind that room was another room, which had an oven, plates and other things necessary for cooking.

"Do you like it?" She heard Toby ask.

Belle turned around and looked at him with a twinkle in her eye. "I love it so much, Toby."

"I'm so happy that you do. Did you see the other room?" Toby said, motioning his hand to another door. Belle looked to where he was looking and saw a light blue door that hadn't been opened.

"Oh!" She smiled and went to open the door. When she opened the door, she saw a bed with beautiful blue sheets next to a small blue wooden nightstand. Lace curtains covered a window across the bed that was near another door that obviously opened to reveal a storage closet.

"And this is the bedroom," she said as she walked into the room and to the window.

"Yes," she heard Toby say quietly as he closed the door behind him. Belle moved the curtains from her view of the outside through the window and was in awe of the beautiful view she had of the ocean. The moonlight shone a mighty light across the sea, which made it appear as if it were sparkling. Belle could even hear the thundering crash of the waves at rocks nearby, which made her feel at peace.

"It's a lovely view isn't it?" Toby asked.

Belle nodded dreamily. "Yes. It's very peaceful and beautiful here. Thank you so much, Toby. I know how difficult it was for you to get this house for the week, " she said as Toby joined her side. She suddenly felt his fingers intertwining with her own.

" Seeing you happy brings me joy and I promise to always keep it that way. My life is dedicated to you now and I love you so much, Belle."

Belle covered the windows with the curtains and faced Toby. "I love you too, Toby," she smiled anxiously. Toby then pulled his new wife against him and kissed her passionately, swooping her into his arms as he did, which caused her to giggle.

"Are you laughing?" Toby smiled in between kisses.

Belle blushed. "Just a tad bit nervous."

"No need to be nervous, my love," he said soothingly as he kissed her again to distract her from her own nerves, which, luckily worked. Soon, it was as if they were in their own little world and nothing else mattered but their love. All of Belle's worries were long forgotten and Toby's haunting thoughts were forgotten, at least for now.

And so, their night continued in bliss.


	12. Chapter 12: A Dream By the Sea

"Belle, what on earth are you doing?" Toby asked, as he saw his wife leaning over the railing of the bridge. Half of her body was so far over the railing, it looked as if she could fall in at any moment.

Belle turned and looked at Toby. "I'm looking at the water," she smiled. "Come join me."

"I might as well. I have to make sure you don't fall in," Toby smirked, joining her side by the railing. He looked down at the water and saw why Belle was so enthralled with it. The water reflected the color of the sky, which made it appear as a beautiful light blue. The water was even sparkling in the sunlight and everything seemed calm.

It was the fourth day after Toby and Belle's wedding and tomorrow was their last day by the sea. The two spent the first day in the little house and had quite an adventure trying to cook a meal, without trying to accidentally burn the place to the ground. The second day, they spent the day at the beach where they had a picnic and enjoyed the cool water. They went to the village on the third day and today, they were at the bridge over the sea. It was the same one that Belle saw when they had first arrived.

"Are you ready to return home in a day?" Toby asked.

"Somewhat," Belle sighed. "I do love it here, though. I feel totally at peace. Don't you feel the same way?"

Toby shrugged. "I suppose." The first two days, Toby had felt completely calm and none of his haunting memories crossed his mind but, that was short lived. For the past couple of days, Toby had been getting very little sleep. He would wake up in the early hours of the day because his dreams were filled with death and darkness. He was thankful that Belle had stayed asleep when he was having a nightmare; she had no idea what Toby was going through during the night.

"How about we return to the house and we can see what we can make for dinner?" Belle suggested as she stepped back from the rail.

"Alright. What would you like to do tomorrow?" Toby asked as Belle held onto his arm when they began to walk together.

"I'm not quite sure yet. I think we'll spend most of the day packing everything up, won't we?"

"You're right. We'll see what happens."

When Belle and Toby arrived back at the house, Belle began to cook them their dinner. She had never cooked before because her aunt was wealthy. This week was the first week she had ever even prepared a simple meal. She had told Toby that she was capable of making a meal by herself but, when she almost caused a small fire, Toby insisted of helping her from now on.

After dinner, the two decided that they were too tired to do much else so, they both fell asleep fairly early. In the middle of the night, Toby's nightmares returned.

"_You know, this won't be the last time this happens," _The eldritch voice of a shadowy figure said.

Toby walked closer to the figure but it vanished before he could reach it. Toby turned around and saw that he was surrounded by a thick fog. There were things, he couldn't tell what they were as of yet, emerging out of the ground in random places. He walked up to one of them and saw that it was a grave stone. The grave had a name on it, but it was unclear to him.

_"Why am I here? Is this your grave?" _Toby asked when he felt a presence behind him.

"_You'll just have to wait and see," _the voice said. Toby turned around and saw that the figure, that was once a shadow, was now Sweeney Todd. Sweeney didn't look immortal in death, though. Toby saw the slit along Sweeney's throat that had killed him. Even Sweeney's clothes, that he died in, were still drenched with blood.

"_It really is a shame, boy, that you brought someone else into all this," _Sweeney grinned.

"_Are you talking about Belle?" _

Sweeney was suddenly standing behind the grave when Toby had asked him the question.

"_She'll have to watch you go mad. You'll only get worse, as the days go by. She'll have to watch you die…Unless you spare her that and just kill her first," _Sweeney laughed.

"_No!" _Toby screamed at him. _"I love her! I would never-" _

"_I believe I've heard this already. You told me you would never hurt anyone. Well, that was a lie, wouldn't you agree? You've already murdered a man, Toby. You soul is already damned, as mine was," _Sweeney said, darkly.

Toby said nothing and stood there, glaring at Sweeney and feeling nothing but pure hatred towards him.

"_You'll crave that feeling again. You'll discover that it gets easier when you've already killed once," _Sweeney smiled.

"_That will not happen again, I assure you," _Toby said, clenching his jaw out of anger.

"_There you go, Toby. You're telling another lie. Mrs. Lovett would be very disappointed in you even though, she was quite the liar, herself." _

"_Don't you dare talk about her like that. You murdered her and she trusted you! She loved you," _Toby said, his anger was fuming.

"_I feel like that's going to repeat itself," _Sweeney laughed and he was suddenly gone, as was the graveyard.

"_I'll see you very soon," _Toby heard Sweeney say in the darkness.

"_No!" _Toby yelled and looked around frantically. He was surrounded by darkness and couldn't even see himself anymore.

"_Toby? Where are you, love?" _

Toby froze at the sound of Mrs. Lovett's voice.

"_Not while I'm around…" _Her voice was becoming faint.

"_Hello? Mrs. Lovett?" _Toby called out loud.

"_Toby?" _

"_Mrs. Lovett?" _Toby asked the voice.

"_Toby, my love, wake up!" _The voice said.

"_Where are you?" _Toby asked, as he ran through the darkness.

"_Toby!" _

Toby opened his eyes and saw Belle was shaking him by the shoulders, as if she were trying to wake him up. When she saw his eyes open, she frantically pulled him against herself and hugged him tightly.

"Are you alright?" She asked as she pulled away.

Toby did not answer her, for he was speechless. He still felt like he was in the dream and that this was all going to disappear. In a daze, he looked at his surroundings. He was in the bedroom of the house and Belle was with him. He look at Belle and lightly touched her arm; she was real.

Belle placed her hand on his. "What happened? I heard you tossing about and then you began yelling at someone."

Toby saw the worry in her eyes and decided not to tell her what his dream was about. She wouldn't understand and he didn't want her to constantly be worrying about him at night. "It was only a nightmare."

"That was not only a nightmare, Toby. You were acting as if someone was torturing you," Belle said worriedly.

"It was nothing," Toby said. He did not want to think about the dream anymore. It was still night and the only thing that would help him forget, was to try to fall asleep and dream about nothing.

"Let's go back to sleep, now," he said, a tad bit forcefully.

"But, Toby-"

"It was only a nightmare and nothing more!" Toby yelled. The loudness of his voice surprised him, as well as Belle. She was staring at him in shock. She had never seen him this way and he had never yelled at her before. Toby hated himself even more at that moment for yelling at her. It wasn't her fault that he was going through this. It was his fault- no, it was Sweeney Todd's fault, and she should not be dragged down with him. She was his wife and it was his duty to make her happy.

"Belle," Toby sighed. "I'm sorry."

Belle gave him a sad smile. "No, it's alright. Your nightmare frightened you, I understand."

_Oh, I hope you never have to understand._

"Belle, I think we need to return home tomorrow." Toby said.

"Why? Is something wrong?"

Toby shook his head. "I just need to be back at the shop."

"I'm perfectly fine with returning home if that is what you want," Belle smiled.

"Thank you, Belle," Toby said and kissed her. "Let's go back to sleep. I'm sorry that I woke you and try to forget this ever happened."

"It's perfectly fine, Toby. I worry about you, to be honest," Belle admitted as she lay back down.

"Please don't worry about me. These nightmares won't be ongoing and they won't last forever."

With those last words, the two drifted off into sleep, once more. This time, Toby dreamed of nothing, or if he did dream, he did not remember what it was the following morning. The two packed all morning and then they took the carriage back to London. Within a few hours, they were back at the shop. They settled into their new home quite easily and quickly. Even though Belle was living in a shop, she found everything to be quaint. They couldn't afford much at the moment but in two days, the shop would be back in business and more they would receive more income to support themselves.

Belle was going to work in the shop and tend to customers and Toby was going to make the pies in the bake house and maybe try to start the barber business upstairs.

"I shall have the pies ready and place them on the counter and then you shall place them onto those plates and return outside to give them to the customers," Toby explained to Belle.

Belle looked out the window at all the empty tables that would be filled with customers tomorrow. "I hope I can keep up with them."

"You'll do fine," Toby reassured her.

"Thank you," Belle smiled and kissed him. "Now, why can't I go into the bake house?" She asked. Toby had specifically said that she could not go into the bake house because that is where he would be. She was already filled with curiosity about it and she didn't understand why Toby would make such a big fuss about it all.

"I told you, Belle," Toby sighed as he went over the counter to stack plates on the shelves.

She leaned over the counter to watch him. "But that does not make any sense, Toby. You won't even let me have a peek."

Toby kept stacking the dishes to avoid eye contact. He had to think of reasons that would make her avoid the bake house. There was nothing horrible in the bake house, but Toby was wary about the fact that if he ever had to hide something-or someone- the bake house would be the place to hide it. He knew he wouldn't kill again but if he necessarily had to, she would have to stay away from the bake house so she would not discover his actions.

"Er-well," Toby suddenly thought of all the vile qualities about the bake house and smirked. He set the plate down and looked at her. "Well, my darling; there are rats in the bake house," he said.

Belle scoffed. "Rats? Toby, there are rats running about in the streets."

Toby's expression did not change. "The meat grinder is also a ghastly thing; you wouldn't like it. Also, it is right next to the sewer," he said with a look of disgust. "It get's horrid down there. I wouldn't want you to breathe that in; it's not safe for a woman."

Belle knew there was another reason why he was trying to persuade her from never entering the bake house.

"Oh, that sounds horrible, Toby. I shan't ever go down there," Belle smiled. She'd surely find her way into the bake house to find out why Toby was trying to keep her away from it.

"Thank you," Toby said with a hint of disbelief.

"When are you going to open up the barber shop upstairs?" Belle asked.

"Oh, soon. I was thinking we could have the barber shop open during the day and then have the pie shop open at night," Toby explained. "I think men prefer to go to the barber shop during the day because special events always take place at night. The shop is also usually empty during the day."

"Ah, that makes sense. I think we shall be very successful in this business, Toby." Belle was excited to see what the future would bring her. She and Toby would be making double the income and be enjoying work with each other. She would meet new people and make new friends. She even loved the idea of her and Toby's children helping around the shop, when they were old enough, of course. It would be a wonderful family business filled with love and joy. It would even maybe be a business that would last through many generations. It was a wonderful thought that she could only hope would be true, but there was a small ounce of doubt in her, that before that dream would be real, something was going to happen.


	13. Chapter 13: Promise

"Thank you very much, Belle," Mrs. Bailey said as Belle placed the pies in front of her and her husband.

"Oh, of course, Mrs. Bailey. I'm so glad to see you two again," Belle smiled as she wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. She had been out on her feet all evening and she was thankful that closing time was approaching. She did not mind the work, though; it was rather enjoyable to meet new people and she was more than happy to serve them. She only detested the exhaustion that followed afterwards. It had been a month since she and Toby began working again and they had made a great team and together, they had just the right amount of money to pay for things with a little left over for themselves.

"And how is Mr. Ragg?" Mr. Bailey asked curiously. Many customers asked about him, since he would only be out of the shop a few times every other day due to working in the bake house. Every time the question was asked, she was grateful to say the absolute truth, which was, "Oh, he's just wonderful."

Toby's nightmares had ceased, for now, and he seemed much more content and peaceful, which made Belle feel the same way.

Mrs. Bailey looked delighted at her answer. "That's wonderful my dear."

"What's wonderful?" A voice behind Belle asked. She suddenly felt hands slip around her waist. When she glanced over, she saw Toby standing beside her.

"I was just telling them how our life has been and that you've been much happier lately," she told him.

"Ah, yes; that is all very true," Toby said proudly. "And how has the service of Mrs. Ragg been this evening?" He asked, leaning closer towards the table.

"Oh, marvelous!" Mr. Bailey complimented. "Yes, she is such a sweet girl. We enjoy her," Mrs. Bailey also complimented.

Belle blushed and looked down at the floor, out of slight embarrassment. "Oh, thank you so very much."

Toby noticed his wife's manner and lifted her chin up with his hand. "Don't be embarrassed, darling," he laughed. "She'll get used to it."

"I'm sure she will," Mrs. Bailey agreed.

"Well, we shall let you two enjoy your food then." Belle looked around and saw that there were few customers left and they were already done eating. "I'll be inside if you need me," she said and walked inside the shop with Toby; who followed her closely.

"Oh, I cannot wait for this night to end," Belle sighed as she held her hands.

"It was very busy tonight, wasn't it? I'm exhausted, as well. The bake house seemed to be blazing." Toby seemed to be lost in thought about something and then he came to realize that he had put out the flames in the oven. "I'll be right back. I need to put the oven out since there aren't anymore customers coming after these," he said and left the room.

After having a quick cup of water, Belle returned outside and tended to the left over customers. When everyone was gone and all the plates were back in the kitchen, she felt as though she could sleep anywhere and wouldn't care about comfort because she was so tired. Toby had offered to clean the plates for her; he knew that even though she had been working with him for some time, she still was not used to working as hard as this. She had not worked a day in her life and the reality of what it is like to support oneself was finally getting to her. He was very grateful that he had her by his side, though.

Belle told Toby that she was going to get ready for bed and Toby said he would be there to join her in a few minutes. She quickly went off to their bedroom, eager to finally be in bed after a long day. She pulled the pins from her up do and let her long blonde hair fall to below her shoulders. Within minutes, she had slipped out of her day dress and into her simple nightgown. When she lay in bed, she began to have a reoccurring thought that she always seemed to have whenever she was about to fall asleep. Her thoughts were always about the future with Toby and what the future had in store for them both. There was one certain part however, that coveted her the most; a child. She knew that it was probably too soon but she so wanted a child with Toby. Since she hardly had any memories of her mother, she wanted so very much to give a child what she never had. She could not entirely grasp or explain the feeling but she thought that most women probably felt this way once they were married, or maybe even before. Perhaps if she only told Toby that she wanted one, he may take it into consideration. She was aware that sometimes money was difficult to earn these days, even with their pie shop and she did not want to rush Toby into having a child if they were not financially ready to support one. She would be perfectly accepting of the idea to wait but first, she wanted to know what Toby's thoughts were.

Once all the dishes and cups were washed and stacked away, Toby locked the doors of the shop, pulled the curtains over the windows and went straight to the bedroom.

"Finally that's done," he sighed as he walked into the room. He saw that Belle was awake and staring at the ceiling. As he removed his shirt and got ready for bed, he noticed that Belle appeared to be wide awake and did not look half as tired as she had before.

"Good work today, love," Toby yawned as he got in bed beside her and closed his eyes.

"Thank you," he heard her say sweetly, which made him smile.

"Goodnight."

"Toby?"

Toby opened one eye and look at her with curiosity. "Yes? Is there something on your mind?"

"Yes, a lot, actually," Belle said and propped herself up on her elbows. "I want to talk to you about something specifically, though."

Toby could not tell whether her tone was one of worry, anxiousness or if she was upset. _Did she know?_ He felt his pulse quicken; did she know about what he had done? Did she know the truth about his past? His thoughts became rapid and all were focused on the fact that she had found out something about him that she felt was worth discussing right here, right now.

"Right now?" Toby asked, almost nervously.

"Yes, right now," Belle said, rolling her eyes.

He opened his eyes and looked at her, trying to seem as relaxed as he could possibly be at the moment. "What do you wish to talk about?" He asked gingerly and sat up. If it was about what he thought it was, he wanted to act in a way that would make her feel sorry for him, which he knew was wrong of him to do.

"Children." It was as simple as that.

_Children? Oh! _Toby fell back onto his pillow and covered his face with his hand. "Oh, is that all?"

"What do you mean? Toby, I really would like to talk about this," Belle frowned and nudged him. "Listen to me, please?"

"Yes, yes," Toby sat back up again. "What about children, Belle?"

"Well," Belle smiled and bit her lip out of nervousness. "I… I've been thinking about it a lot lately and I believe that I want one. I know we haven't been married long but I just feel like you and I have enough love to share. I'd just like your thoughts on the subject." She hoped that she was not being too bold and assertive by bringing it all up unexpectedly.

Toby stared at her and processed her words, rather slowly, at that. He was not too surprised by her thoughts on having a child. He knew that she was naturally a caring person and what would be better for her than having her own child to care for? He would not mind having a child but was she truly ready to have one? Sometimes people's thoughts sound better in their mind and when their thoughts become a reality, they soon realized that the reality of it is much more different than they had planned. He had seen how exhausted she was by the end of each day and adding a child would probably be very stressful for her and for himself, too. The whole process would be very difficult for her, he felt, even after the child was born; who would watch over it when she had to tend to the customers and he was in the bake house? If she really wanted one, then they would find a solution.

Toby, who had no memory of his own parents, had little knowledge of how to take care of a child. He was sure his fatherly instincts would eventually take over but how can he be a good father when all the men in his life have turned out to be horrible? He put his negative thoughts aside and began to think of the positive. As if he wasn't more than happy now, he could not fathom how happy he would be if he actually had a child. He would try to be the best role model he could be for his child and do anything he could to ensure it's safely and successful future.

"Toby?" He heard Belle ask; obviously, he was thinking too much but it was not a question or topic to be taken lightly.

"I'm not against the idea," Toby began slowly. "We need to make sure that we have enough money to provide for one, though."

Belle knew that was the truth but when would they ever be financially ready? A baby didn't need much and she was sure that Aunt Elizabeth would be more than happy to help provide for her niece or nephew; but would that hurt Toby's pride? It was his child and she was sure that he would be upset if he were not the one there to providing the necessities for it.

"Yes, that is true…But you want a child?" Belle asked.

"Yes, I suppose that'd be alright. Not at this very moment, though. We should wait until I see if more income will be likely in the upcoming weeks," Toby yawned.

"Oh, of course, Toby. I just wanted to know how you felt about it because I very much want one. I can wait, though."

"Are you sure you'd like one so soon? You're so exhausted already, I would not want you to over stress yourself and such. I'd worry so much about you," Toby said as he gently stroked her blonde hair.

"I promise you that I can handle it, Toby," Belle said. She wanted so much to convince Toby that all would be well and he had nothing to worry about.

_Promise?_ Toby was not sure if he liked the word being used in this situation. Nothing was even set in stone yet and she was already making promises on something that is not certain and is unpredictable.

"We shall see, darling. If it is not soon, then eventually we shall have one." He leaned over and gave her a soft kiss and fell back onto his pillow.

"That is fine with me," Belle smiled and lay back down.

"Goodnight, my love," she said sleepily; she felt her exhaustion returning to her.

"Goodnight," Toby murmured as he pulled her against himself and puts his arms around her. The discussion would be brought up again; that was obvious, but for now he did not want to worry or think about anything. All he wanted was to fade into a deep peaceful sleep, and he did just that.

* * *

"And what did he say?" Madeline asked as she flipped through the pages of the book she was reading when their conversation began.

Belle tried to recall what Toby had said a week before. "Oh, he said that it was alright but we just needed to wait a bit before we decide to actually have one," she said as she watched her friend. Madeline was two and a half months away from having her baby and Belle was very excited for her; of course, small amounts of jealously were beginning to fill Belle, but she promptly ignored the feelings as soon as they were felt.

"Have you thought of any names yet?" Belle inquired; Madeline gabbed about anything and everything but this was something that she had not really spoken of, as of yet.

Madeline glanced up from her book. She slowly closed it and leaned forward, as if it was a secret. "If it is a boy, he shall be named Phillip. If it is a girl, she shall be named Phillippa," she said proudly and leaned back in her seat, satisfied with herself.

"Oh? Those are nice names," Belle complimented. They truly were; it was just like Madeline to name her own children after her husband.

"I'm sure Phillip would not approve of his child having his name but I felt that it was very necessary, in my case, anyway," she ended with a sad sigh.

"Yes, of course," Belle sadly smiled. "I think you are very brave, Madeline. I know how difficult it is for women to cope with loss and mourning while preparing to have a child."

"I pray you shall never have to go through the same thing, Belle. You are strong, as well, though. You shall be just fine, I believe," Madeline said with a wave of her hand.

"Oh, thank you. I'm very excited," Belle smiled and shrugged. She knew that everything would go smoothly for her, Toby and the child. The thought of it all made her as eager as ever to begin her new little family. Great patience, though, was needed.

"I suppose all good things come to those who can wait."

* * *

"I despise waiting for this," Toby groaned as he waited for the large oven to heat up inside. To him, the oven was the most frightening part of the bake house; it was not the rats, the ghastly meat grinder or the sewer, it was the oven. It was the same oven that Sweeney had thrown Mrs. Lovett in and where Toby had thrown in the corpse of Phillip Garwood. Each time he opened the oven, he felt the hot flames leaping out towards him, as if hell had already reserved a place for him and was welcoming him in at that moment.

The oven was not producing flames as quickly as they normally do, so he decided to get some firewood, that was stacked along the wall. When he threw in one log, a spark ignited and the flames began to grow. Now, he had to run to the front of the shop to get the pies that he had made this morning. He closed the oven door and began to walk away when he heard something strange. He stopped walking and listened for it. It sounded like a distant scream. He turned and looked to the sewer; surely, it was not the rats or anyone down there, which would be impossible. Belle was not home so it would not be her, either. He took one step closer to the oven and noticed that the scream became more clear and audible. He dared to get closer to the oven and when he was right in front of the door, he recognized the scream. It was the scream of Mrs. Lovett when Sweeney Todd had shoved her into the oven.

His mind was playing tricks on him and he refused to allow this hallucination to pull him into deeper waters, in which he could not get himself out of. He swiftly went to the kitchen to retrieve the pies but was startled when he saw someone standing there before him.

"Hello, love," Belle greeted as she slipped her gloves off and held them.

"H-Hello," Toby stuttered and grabbed the tray of pies.

Belle noticed he was acting odd and was curious as to why. "Is everything alright? You look disheveled." She studied him and saw that he looked like frightened and exhausted.

"I'm alright," Toby lied. "The oven is just sweltering so I'm going to go slip these into it so I can return to the cool air. I have lunch ready for us. When I return, we shall have it," he said as he began to walk away with the tray.

"Do you need any help?" Belle asked, knowing what the answer would be since he was persistent on keeping her away from the bake house for safely issues.

"No, thank you, darling!" She heard him say. "Alright," she said quietly and went to the bedroom to put her gloves away.

When Toby reentered the bake house, the scream was not heard. He was relieved and was able to place the pies in the oven with no trouble at all; it was when he closed the oven, that the scream began once more. He groaned and locked the oven door and bolted out of the back house and back to the front of the shop, where he found Belle sitting at the table, ready for lunch. She looked at him with a look of confusion and concern.

"Why are you running?" She asked.

"Er-I…" He then heard the scream but this time, it sounded as if it were closer than the bake house. He tilted his head and looked at Belle, who obviously wondering what in the world was going on.

"Do you hear that?" Toby asked, as he listened to the scream that seemed to be getting closer and closer.

Belle was silent but was attentive to the sounds that surrounded them. All she could hear was the murmur of people talking outside, the light sound of horse hooves on cobblestone and the quick paced breathing of Toby.

"What exactly do you want me to hear?"

"That!" Toby said as the scream seemed to fill the room. He did not understand why Belle wasn't noticing the scream, as he was. When the scream was the loudest it had been, he covered his ears and looked at Belle in shock. "How are you not able to hear that, Belle?" He asked.

Belle was frightened now and was not understanding what was happening. "Hearing what, Toby? There is nothing!"

At that exact moment, the screaming ceased. Toby dropped his arms and stayed quiet so he could hear if the scream was truly gone. After a minute or so, he trusted that it was gone.

"Toby, what is wrong?" Belle asked.

"Nothing…Really, it was nothing." Why worry her?

"I don't believe that, Toby. If it were nothing you wouldn't have been so frightened and concerned if I heard it too."

"It was just… Do you know that ringing you sometimes hear in your head? Sometimes it's not noticeable and other times it's so loud, you cannot seem to focus?" Toby asked, trying to make a lie that he would even believe.

"Well," Belle thought for a moment. She knew the feeling but it was never so loud that she would not focus. "It should not have been as horrible as you made it to be."

"Oh, but it was!" Toby said and went up to her. "If you do not wish to believe me, that's understandable."

Toby was becoming even more strange by the minutes and she had never heard him speak of the sound of ringing before. It was the first time he had acted oddly since they were at the house down by the sea.

"No, I believe you, Toby. You just worried me, that's all."

Toby leaned in and gave her a quick kiss. "Oh, don't worry about anything at all," it sounded more like a command than words of comfort. "So, how was your visit with Madeline?" Toby asked as he went to the counter to get their lunch.

"Oh, it was wonderful. I'm so excited for her. I can't wait to have my own," Belle said and watched Toby's expression to see if it would change in anyway.

"Soon, Belle, soon," Toby consoled. He did not want to discourage her but now was not the best time for them to have a child, he decided. He unfortunately noticed that the shop had less and less income as each day went by. They could not spend or even think of having a child until the income was above average.

"Do you promise?" Belle asked.

"I promise."


	14. Chapter 14: Sunday Service

"Must we attend the service? It's raining out and I'd much rather stay inside. I wouldn't want you or I to become ill due to the weather," Toby whined as he slipped his dark coat on.

"Oh, Toby, please stop," Belle scolded. "We promised Aunt Elizabeth that we would attend at least one service with her. We're already late! It's shameful of us to be late." She slipped her white gloves on and left the bedroom in a hurry. She knew that Aunt Elizabeth would be upset with them but she hoped that the quicker they left, the less angry she would be.

"Hurry, Toby!" Toby heard her say from the front of the shop. He groaned and in minutes, they were gone. Luckily, the rain had been a light drizzle as Belle and Toby walked to church together, arm in arm.

A couple of weeks prior, Aunt Elizabeth questioned Belle and Toby if they had attended church services, which they replied that they had not. Bewildered by their response, she demanded to know the reason for them not attending. Belle was honest with her and told her that she would love to attend church service but that they were always too busy preparing for their evening's work. Aunt Elizabeth scoffed and told them that there is always time to attend a service; it was only a small percentage of one's day. Belle felt the same way about it but Toby did not. It was not because Toby did not feel like attending Sunday services, it was because he was afraid of the guilt he would feel as soon as he entered the Lord's House. Twice he had committed murder; both, he felt, were somewhat out of self defense. When and if he did attend church, he hoped that instead of feeling condemned, he would feel an inner peace that would last within him.

"I'm sure you will enjoy Pastor Edgar's services; or what's left of it. He has a very tranquil and pleasant demeanor. His sermons are also very uplifting," Belle said to Toby, remembering the services she attended with her aunt before she had married Toby. Ever since she was a young girl, she very much looked forward to Pastor Edgar's sermons. He was also the pastor that held the service for her father, when he was announced to be dead. When her father had died, Belle fell into a state of sadness that she felt she would never be able to get out of. The sermons she heard every Sunday helped her get through it, though. She had found the hope to carry on and live for better days. She sincerely hoped the sermons would make Toby feel the same way and forget the nightmares that were troubling him.

Toby found her description of the pastor and his manner comforting and he was very much hoping that this service would be just like his other's; it was just what Toby needed at the moment.

When they arrived at the church, the congregation was singing a hymn and were distracted by the song books in their hands. Taking advantage of the moment, Belle searched for Aunt Elizabeth and found her standing in one of the pews towards the back of the church. She had space enough for two people to sit beside her at the edge of the pew, and was obviously distressed that she and Toby had not arrived on time. Belle quietly went to the pew with Toby and was greeted with a scowl from Aunt Elizabeth.

"What delayed you two?" She whispered as Belle joined her on the pew. "Time passed quicker than we had expected," was Belle's reply. Toby stood next to Belle at the end of the pew and listened to the whispers coming from the two women beside him.

Belle glanced over the people that stood in front of her and noticed that someone else was standing behind the pulpit. Certainly, it was not Pastor Edgar. This pastor had snow white hair, cold eyes and a look so stern, that it made him seem unapproachable. Had it been so long since she had seen him that she did not recognize his face?

"Where is Pastor Edgar?" Belle whispered to her aunt.

"Oh, Pastor Edgar is in Ireland visiting a sick relative of his, I was told by a friend of mine. Pastor Dennel is carrying out the services today," Aunt Elizabeth said. Belle turned towards Toby and made him aware that this was a different pastor. Toby was a bit troubled when she told him it was not Pastor Edgar but she assured that all pastors made wonderful sermons that one could benefit from. Toby only hoped that he could benefit from this one. Aunt Elizabeth shushed Belle, since she was speaking, and then continued to sing the hymn. Belle looked at Toby and saw that he had no means of joining them in singing so Belle glanced at Aunt Elizabeth's hymn book and began to quietly sang along.

Toby was using the time that was left of the hymn to admire the interior and architecture of the church. The wooden arches above him were high and all in a horizontal form that was slanted downward. There was also a second level on the sides of the church, for those who wished to sit on the balcony. In the center of the church, there was a small alter and a large empty wooden cross hung above it. Above the cross, there was a small circular window that would not be shedding any light through the church today. The weather outside produced a dark, hazy sky which gave the church a dim almost obscure ambience.

When the hymn was over, the entire congregation sat down in their pews. Toby scooted a bit more towards Belle and saw that her gloved hand was resting on her lap. He slowly moved his hand towards hers, which caused her to glanced at him with a smile. As soon as their fingers intertwined, a hymnal book swatted at them until they separated. Toby and Belle both looked at Aunt Elizabeth at the same time with annoyance. Aunt Elizabeth, who held the hymn book in her hand as if she was ready to hit them again, appeared aggravated.

"Do not do that here," she whispered harshly.

" Of course, Aunt Elizabeth," Belle said with a nod. Toby could see the guilt on her face as she held her hands nicely on her lap. Toby did not feel any guilt, not for that. He simply sighed, crossed his arms and leaned back in the pew, awaiting the sermon.

Pastor Dennel leaned forward at the pulpit and spoke in a loud voice.

"Good afternoon, my friends and brothers and sisters," Pastor Dennel began. "I would like to discuss something with you that has been on my mind recently. It is quite a troubling topic but it is something that we should all be aware of."

Toby thought nothing of his words and dared to close his eyes; it would only be for a short while.

"It is in our nature to believe that we, as people, are free from the consequences of the evil deeds that we commit everyday. We try to bury the evidence, burn it till it becomes ashes, mask it until it is unrecognizable to others and eventually, unrecognizable to ourselves."

By the middle of Pastor Dennel's words, Toby had already opened his eyes and was listening with curiosity.

"We seem to forget that even though others may not be aware of the sin, there is one who is. Our Lord knows everything we do. He knows our every thought, our every unholy desire, and every word we speak. There is never a moment when He is not aware of what we are doing or where we are. We continue our days building up this chain that keeps us from salvation. When we are born, we already have the shackles on, but there is no chain. As we age and began making our own decisions, the chain either stays at it's length or grows. Each time we sin, a link is added to the chain and the shackles become more difficult to wear. Each one of you has a unique chain of different lengths. Some have more links than others. How many links does your chain have? Are you keeping something hidden or a secret that you are beginning to feel the weight of that chain?" The pastor asked, his tone was becoming a bit more harsh.

Toby glanced down at his wrists. In his mind, he envisioned the shackles and deep down, he could feel the weight of the chain he was carrying. It was a chain with many links and he felt that his dark deeds have added even double the amount.

"Do you know what happens when our chains become so heavy that we cannot stand to carrying them any longer? When the chains become so heavy that we cannot even rise to our feet?" He asked dramatically.

The whole congregation seemed to become filled with anticipation to hear the answer to his question. Toby even leaned forward in the pew.

"We stay planted in the ground because of the weight of our chains! We stay planted until Lucifer, himself, pulls us through the earth and drags us down into the fiery flames of eternal damnation! It is what is deserved when those chains become so heavy! The chains stay with us even in that Lake of Fire!"

Gasps and murmurs from the horrified women and men filled the church. Even Toby could see that Belle was beginning to nervously fiddle with her gloves. Aunt Elizabeth, stayed poised and was not bothered by the topic. Toby glanced down and saw that his knee was bobbing up and down and he felt his heart begin to pound at a rapid speed. Toby had not noticed that the room had an even darker feel to it than before. Outside of the small window, the sky that was once a light grey color was now a darker one. Rain was beginning to pelt down against the roof of the church and a few moments later, thunder was herd, which caused Belle to cringe beside him.

Toby noticed that Pastor Dennel was slightly grinning. He was sure that the pastor's intention was to frighten the congregation into atoning for their sins, and it was working.

"We cannot remove the chains from our shackles once they are there; it is impossible to do so. Perhaps some of you feel guilt for something you have done. Was the act something so unforgivable that you cannot even forgive yourself? Look around yourselves, brothers and sisters. Look at your fellow friends and family! Though they may not be murderers, they are all murdering their faith with their acts of evil. They could be committing sins that you may not even be aware of! You may be looking at someone who does not know their way in the light, but knows their way in the dark extremely well!" The pastor's voice began to become quake.

The congregation had a quiet chaos as each person began to frantically glance at each other; friends towards friends, mothers towards sons, fathers towards daughters, husbands towards wives, even strangers towards strangers. Belle even made quick glances towards Aunt Elizabeth and Toby and then set her gaze at her hands. She did not want to think of those she loved as evil doers or anything of that sort. The whole topic was frightening her and she felt that it was frightening Toby, as well.

Fortunately, Belle had not seen how frightened Toby had become. His hands were shaking and he even felt himself begin to perspire from fright.

"Silence, everyone!" Pastor Dennel shouted. His shout gained the attention of the distracted congregation. All faced him once again but almost everyone had seemed to cower in their pews.

"Will you allow the Evil One to blacken your soul until you are cursed to roam the earth in darkness forever? Until you become so unrecognizable that all you see is the Evil One's face in place of your own? He with his eyes full of death, sickeningly sweet grin, and monstrous form?"

Toby's mind suddenly became filled with the image of Sweeney Todd. Toby felt that Sweeney Todd was the Devil in human form. He was a demon that plagued the lives of many people without them even knowing who had caused them such hurt. Toby began to realize that Sweeney Todd was not the only demon. Toby, himself, had also caused hurt upon people. Madeline and her unborn child would never know who had killed Phillip and the feeling of not knowing, Toby thought, was an ugly feeling, indeed. He had already ruined her life by doing that. He put the love of a husband and wife to an eternal halt and prevented the love between a father and child from ever existing.

He wanted to bolt out of the church and run home so he would not be able to hear what words would be said next. They were seated at the back of the church so if he had to leave, he would go unnoticed. Belle and her aunt would be worried, though. They would wonder why he had fled the service and they would automatically become suspicious of them. He was not sure of how much more talk of damnation that he could handle.

"If any of you has done something so unforgivable that you do not even feel like yourself anymore, then it has begun. May God have mercy on your poor damned soul."

That had done it for Toby.

He had to leave and return home as quickly as possible. He felt something weigh him down, something dark. He turned towards Belle and said in a shaky voice, "I have to leave."

Belle looked at him and suddenly became full of worry. "Toby, why?" She asked, but it was too late, Toby had ran out of the church.

The afternoon sky was dark and the rain was pouring down on Toby as he ran from the church. When he was near the shop, he slowed down, so as not to look suspicious. He quickly opened the door and closed it behind himself when he had entered.

"Dear God, forgive me," he whispered as he went to the other room and took off his drenched coat, which he placed on the coat hanger. He lay down on the small sofa and began to steady his breathing. The fear and the run home had caused him to become out of breath but no matter how much he tried to calm himself, his mind would find a way to start up again.

He knew his chain was already heavy and he knew he was a damned man but could there be any hope for him? He was sure there was someway that he could be forgiven. He did not want to become a lost wandering soul in eternal darkness and he did not want to join the Devil in his Lake of Fire. He wanted salvation and he wanted to rejoice in the Light at the end of his life. He wanted to be with Belle in paradise but it was all just a fantasy of his that would not ever be true. Belle would surely be in paradise and she would be happy with her life, while he was in the abyss of pain and death regretting everything he had done. There had to be someway to prevent this but Toby felt that it was only the beginning and that there was no way out of his already decided fate…

"Toby, darling, are you here?"

Toby opened his eyes when he heard the sound of the front door closing. He sat up and saw a drenched Belle standing before him. Her soaked dark blue dress clung to her body, her blonde hair was now darkened from the rain and her breathing was heavy; she had certainly ran home and her parasol was not enough to keep her dry.

"Yes, I am here," Toby said with a yawn. Suddenly, Belle's arms were around him and he was being embraced.

"I was so worried about you! Did the sermon frighten you? It frightened me, as well," Belle said as she pulled away from him.

Toby nodded but did not want to tell her the reasons why it frightened him. She still had no idea of the secrets that he was hiding from her and planned on never telling her.

"Was it because you thought of Sweeney Todd?" Belle asked meekly. It was obvious that it was a thought that she harboring after Toby had fled.

"Yes, Belle," Toby said. "It was because I thought of him."

"Oh, darling, but his chains were probably so heavy. Your chains aren't, though. I love you, Toby and I'm certain that you have nothing to fear," Belle smiled.

Oh, if only that were true. Toby hated and yet loved how ignorant Belle was of his current situation. He hated that she did not know what he had done and who he truly could become but at the same time, he loved keeping her safe from heart break.

"I know… It's just the thought of it all is horrible to think of. It's a horrible thought that someone can do something so unforgivable and never be forgiven, even if they are truly sorry," Toby said.

Belle held his hand and sighed. "Yes, but that is not true, Toby. Pastor Dennel's sermon was a bit… exaggerated," she said. "Pastor Edgar would have said quite the opposite, in fact. There's always a chance to be forgiven, Toby. God will always forgive you. It's a person's choice to truly feel sorry within their heart so that they may be forgiven. If they do not want forgiveness or to feel liberated from the sins that hold them back then that is their business. Do not listen to what Pastor Dennel said. It seemed like he was quite amused from frightening us all."

Toby stood from the sofa and faced the mantle. "But what if he's true?"

"Even if he was telling the truth, you would have nothing to worry about, Toby."

"Oh, darling, you have absolutely no idea," Toby whispered to himself.

"What was that?"

Toby turned around and laughed nervously. "I didn't say anything. I suppose you're right, Belle. Now, let's put all this aside for now and get ready for dinner."

"Alright," Belle said, relieved that her words had calmed him. "Can you close those curtains, please? The cloudy sky is not a nice sight."

Toby chuckled. "Of course, darling." He walked over to the window to close the curtains. At the moment he was about to do so, he looked at his reflection in the window and saw a dark figure, that was not Belle's, standing behind him. He turned around quickly but there was no one before him.

"Belle?" He called out in a shrill voice.

"Yes, darling? What's wrong?" He heard her ask from the bedroom.

"I-I… Nothing, never mind," Toby said and closed the curtains.

Toby suddenly became full of panic. Something told him that the figure was the figure of the man who had haunted his nightmares and Sweeney's spirit had returned once again with vengeance.


	15. Chapter 15: Expecting

"I'm afraid that I don't understand what you mean."

The butcher sighed and leaned over the counter. He had gone over this with Toby many times before but this time, Toby was mentally rejecting the fact that he could not afford to purchase meat for his shop. "Mr. Ragg, I always sell you the same amounts of meat for the same price. This month, you do not have enough for that many pounds of meat."

_Damn it all! _Toby groaned and slammed his hand on the counter, which earned him stares from some customers near him. "How am I supposed to make meat pies then? Sir, I have a business to run and a wife to take care of!"

"As do I, Mr. Ragg! I am so sorry. For what you have right now, I can give you four pounds of meat," the butcher said. He truly felt sympathy for Toby but he also had a business to run and he could not fix his prices.

"Four pounds won't do any good," Toby muttered.

"Come back when you have more money then, Mr. Ragg. Have a good day," the butcher said with a nod and warily moved away from Toby and to another side of the counter to speak with another customer.

"Thank you," Toby said in a sarcastic tone. "Thank you very much." He pushed the door opened and slammed it behind himself.

When he was outside, the guilt suddenly hit him and he felt the energy drain from him. He paused for a moment to calm himself down. It was no use trying to argue with the butcher; it was not his fault that Toby could not afford his regular amounts of meat for his shop. It was no one's fault, actually. Two months before, Toby had noticed a large drop in the shop's earnings. Fewer customers were coming and the one's that would eat at the shop frequently, were even saying that they were going to be trying to eat at other places, because they were getting a bit tired of meat pies. He began to think that his sudden bad luck was due to him leaving church early months before; but that was a silly thought, indeed. In this month, only a couple of customers were coming for dinner every other night. There were even some nights when Toby and Belle had to wait for hours expecting a customer to show. When none did, though, they closed up the shop without any money earned. What was Toby supposed to do? He could not just suddenly stop selling meat pies. He had to think of another way to earn money and quickly.

Because of the lack of business they had, Belle and Toby could not even afford things for themselves. They tried to save all the food they had for themselves and their meals were in half portions than their regular ones. Toby felt like a failure for not being able to support his own wife and himself. Belle could not even purchase a new dress or something nice for herself because Toby could simply not afford it. The stress of their current situation had begun to wear Toby down. Belle noticed right away as soon as Toby began to become restless and frustrated and everything little thing seemed to set him off.

Belle never complained, though. Toby wondered how much longer she would last before she would begin to become so stressed that she would have nothing to do but complain to him. He was very grateful that she was understanding and was being supportive of him, though. She really helped lower his stress but it was never completely gone.

Belle had once suggested that they go to Aunt Elizabeth and tell her about their current situation but Toby refused. He did not want Aunt Elizabeth to think lesser of him and he wanted to prove to her that he was perfectly capable of providing for Belle and himself. He would find a way out of this, without the help of others. This was _his_ business and _his_ life and he refused to allow others to become involved in this crisis.

He would open up the barber shop above the shop. It would be open during the day and he would certainly make a large profit from that; he was sure of it. He had lived with Sweeney Todd long enough for him to know how one could be a barber. Surely, he would not have the same skill as Sweeney Todd but he would certainly try his best. Why did he not do this before? The upper level of the shop was already prepared to be open for business but he had been so busy with the pie shop that he felt there was no need to be a barber, as well. Belle would certainly encourage this idea and help him in anyway she could.

Yes, that is what he would do. The future that was once uncertain and bleak for Toby was now filled with endless possibilities to become successful. He hastened his walking pace to get home as quick as he could to tell Belle about his wonderful idea.

* * *

Belle let out a blissful sigh as she lightly fell back onto the bed. She glanced towards the window to the right of herself and smiled. The clouds were covering the sky but a single ray of light from the sun was seen. It was one of those days that one could sense would bring joy and wonderful unexpected blessings. For Belle, it was that day.

It had happened. She and Toby were going to have a child.

She knew that it was already the second month of her being with child since the month before, her _monthly discomfort _had not arrived. What did arrive though, was a sudden exhaustion and she was secretly grateful that the shop wasn't busy due to her sudden lack of energy. She also noticed that she had been feeling a bit nauseous in the mornings, especially since this month had started. She kept that all hidden from Toby, though, so he would not worry about her. She did not want to tell Toby the moment she suspected she was expecting, she wanted to be sure that she was and waited another month to tell him. Now that the first month had come and gone, and she knew she really was expecting, she decided it was finally time to tell Toby.

She could not help but wonder how he would respond. Would he be upset? Would he be just as delighted as she was? She hoped he would not be upset because of their lack of income. Having a child wasn't necessarily planned, at the moment, but it had happened and now they had to accept it. The child did not need much and who's to say that they won't have good income by the time the child is born? They would fine, the three of them.

"Oh, Toby, where are you?" Belle asked as she got up from the bed and made her way to there small sitting room. She sat down on the red velvet sofa and waited patiently for Toby. Sitting in that seat brought her back memories of when her and Toby had spent almost the entire night drinking gin and talking until they had both fallen asleep. It was an odd thought that she and her future husband were making fools of themselves in front of one another and not having the slightest idea that they would marry one another. If Belle was told on that night that she would marry Toby and have his child, she would not have believed such an outrageous idea. Fate had brought her to him and kept them together and now, she was even more excited to see what more good things fate would choose to bring them.

She heard the door of the shop open and then close. Her heart almost skipped a beat as she stood to greet Toby

"Toby, you're back!" She said with a smile.

" 'Course I am," Toby said, walking straight towards the coat rack. He quickly removed his coat and then looked at Belle. "The butcher wouldn't sell me anything," he sighed as he sat down on the sofa across from her.

"Oh," Belle frowned. "Why is that?" She said, sitting down, as well. Obviously, Toby was a bit distraught and he needed to talk to her about what had happened. Her news would have to wait until afterwards. She was a bit saddened that he hadn't arrived home the way she had expected him to; him to arrive without a problem and then she would tell him the news which would lead to a lovely embrace.

"We don't have enough money. He said all I could buy with the money I currently have is four pounds of meat. What the hell am I supposed to do with four pounds?"

Belle lightly shrugged. "Well, erm- four pounds would do well for those two customers that come every other day."

"They haven't been in this week. Besides, I can't only tend to them," Toby replied.

It was quite heartbreaking. Belle hadn't really understood how low their income was until they could not even buy what makes their pie shop, well, a pie shop. If they couldn't even afford meat, how could the shop afford to stay open? If the shop could not afford to stay open, how could they afford a child? She leaned forward and held Toby's hands.

"Surely, there must be something else we can do to help the shop?"

Toby held her hands and nodded at her. "I have one idea. I can open up the barber shop, upstairs. It's all ready for business, anyway. Men go to their barber's during the day so that they can be ready for their evenings."

That was a very good idea, indeed, Belle thought. Perhaps there was hope for the three of them after all. "So the barber shop is open during the day, then at night, the pie shop is open for dinner and the money you make as a barber would help us buy supplies for the pie shop?"

"Exactly," Toby said, finally giving her a smile. "We won't be earning much at the start of the barber shop being open. You'll have to write to your aunt and tell her about it. She has friends that have husbands. Her friends can tell their husbands about it and they can come here and give us business."

"Toby, that's brilliant! Of course, I shall write to her. I'm not sure her highborn friends would come to Fleet Street for a shave, though. Perhaps she can tell the friends she has at church," Belle said. Aunt Elizabeth knew many people from church and would certainly tell them about the business since they were the common folk who patronized the businesses of Fleet Street.

"Splendid! Oh, Belle, we can finally be earning some money to spend for ourselves! We'll even be earning double the amount of money," Toby said eagerly and held her hand up to his mouth and kissed it. "I can finally buy you what you desire."

Belle blushed and glanced down. "Toby, I…I only desire one thing, at the moment."

"Oh?" Toby leaned in closer. "What is it you desire, my sweet?" He asked with a grin.

Belle rolled her eyes and giggled. "I desire to tell you something very important."

"Oh," Toby laughed and gave her a quick kiss. "What would you like to tell me?"

"Well…," Belle bit her lip and laughed nervously. Why was she so nervous? This was her husband she was talking to. There was no reason for her to be nervous. "Toby, I- no, you and I are going...to have a baby," she said quietly and then watched his expression with eagerness.

Toby was shocked. _No, no, no. Why now? _It was his fault to. He felt like kicking himself. He had told Belle that they would have a child once they were earning an income and were in a good state with their finances. Promises like that were obviously hard to keep. There was no use making a fuss about it now; there was now a baby to worry about. Hopefully the pie shop and the barber shop would be successful in the upcoming months so they can have more than enough money before the baby would arrived.

_A baby. _

"Toby?"

Damn, he had been quiet for too long. His serious expression became a joyful one and he stood, gently pulling up Belle from her seat.

"That… That's wonderful, Belle," Toby said, almost in a whisper. Belle glanced up at him and embraced him. "Are you certain? I know that we have no money right now but this is life, Toby. We shall get through this, I know it."

"Yes, Belle. We'll overcome this. It'll all be fine. We'll have to tell Aunt Elizabeth to be haste with her announcements about the barber shop," Toby added with a nervous laugh. "I know nothing about being a father, though," he added, realizing that he did not know the first thing about raising a child since he never even knew his own father.

"It'll be a learning experience for the both of us. Oh, Toby, I'm so happy. I simply cannot wait to be a mother," Belle said happily.

"It'll be quite interesting having a baby living here with us… We'll discuss all of that later; for now, let's celebrate," Toby smiled and kissed her. "I'll get the gin and that small little dessert we have left over."

Belle laughed. "Or do you mean, _you_ drink the gin and _I_ will have the dessert?"

"Oh, yes, that works too, I suppose," Toby laughed.

The two spent the rest of their evening enjoying each other's company and discussing their wonderful future together with their child. They both had a new view and confidence about the future. The barber shop and pie shop would be successful and they would be earning enough money to support their family and not have a worry in the world. Belle said their lives would be perfect and Toby very much wanted to believe her thought but couldn't. Somehow, for a reason unknown to him, he felt that something was going cause their lives to be far from perfect.


	16. Chapter 16: Oncoming Madness

"I'm so glad the rain has stopped. The weather is still gloomy, though," Belle said as she opened the curtains of their small sitting room.

"It'll be back."

Belle turned and watched as Toby walked to the front of the shop and sit down at one of the tables. She sighed and crossed her arms. Toby had been out of sorts lately because of the lack of business they had. It had been a month since they opened the barber shop upstairs and Toby had received such few customers that they barely had enough to get by. They also still could not afford to buy meat for the shop. He was worried about the unclear future of both businesses and was worried about Belle and their baby. Belle had assured him not to worry about them but Toby insisted that he worry be cause she and their child were his first priority, or so he thought.

"Oh, Toby," Belle sighed again as she went to the front of the shop. She placed her hands on his shoulders and kissed his cheek. "I wish you could be happy for once."

Toby glanced behind himself to look at her. "I am happy," he said, giving her a smile. It was true; he was actually happy but could not show it. The only thing that made him actually smile was Belle and knowing that they would never be apart. Her pregnancy was almost obvious now that she was almost near the fourth month. The small bump, that had appeared without him noticing, made him smile every time he looked at her. It was proof of their love and he just could not wait to see his child.

"Well, then, smile more," Belle giggled and then looked out the window with a curious expression.

"I am smiling!" Toby laughed and then saw her expression. "What? What's wrong?" He asked as he stood to see what was going on out of the window.

"I'm not sure. Do you see that woman walking towards here?" Belle asked as she moved away from Toby and closer to the window. Toby joined her by the window and looked. An older woman, with red hair, a dark coat and a determined expression on her face was walking quickly towards the shop.

"Do you know her?" Toby asked.

Belle nodded. "I don't know her personally but I believe she is one of Madeline's maids."

"Why do you suppose she is coming here?" Toby asked, suddenly becoming nervous. Why would Madeline be sending one of her maids here? Wouldn't her butler be the one running errands for her? What if they knew what Toby had done? What if the butler was out talking to the law while Madeline sent her maid here to tell Toby that he was to be arrested and put on trial and to say goodbye to his wife forever?

"We'll have to find out, won't we?" He heard Belle ask. _No, I don't want to find out! _Toby had to think of a way to hide. Perhaps he should bolt to the bedroom and lock the door. Yes, that is what he'll do. The moment he was about to make a run for it, he heard Belle open the door and greet the woman. It was too late now. He couldn't run off without looking suspicious. He straightened his posture and hoped he looked confident.

"Mrs. Ragg," the maid said with a small nod. "I hope you are not busy today. Oh, and I wish you the best of luck for you and your child," she said.

"Oh, thank you very much," Belle smiled. "Isn't she sweet Toby?" She glanced at Toby and waited for him to comment.

"Hmm? Oh, yes, thank you. We are very eager," Toby sad, placing his arm around Belle's waist.

"Indeed we are," Belle sighed happily. "Now, what is it that you wanted? I do not believe we had anything planned today, did we?"

"No, we didn't," Toby said.

"Well, Mrs. Ragg," the maid began. "I was sent her by Mrs. Garwood and she thinks she is going to have her baby today," she said happily.

Belle clapped her hands together out of excitement. "Really? Oh, how wonderful! Has it been that long already? Oh, how quickly time goes by!"

"Yes, she is very anxious and ready to see her and Phillip's child," the maid smiled. Toby's hold on Belle's waist tightened when Phillip's name was said. The name of the man that had started this whole inner turmoil for Toby. It was all Phillip's fault that he was constantly on edge and having to carry that guilt in his heart whenever the mention of Madeline and her child were heard.

"That's wonderful. I'm so glad she sent you to tell me about it," Belle then looked at Toby when she felt his hold tighten. "Oh, darling, you're um, hurting me," she said softly as she placed her hand on Toby's.

Toby looked at her and then realized that he was holding her too tightly. "Oh, sorry, Belle," he said and dropped his hand, bringing it back to his side.

"It's alright. So, did Madeline need anything else of me?" Belle asked.

"Yes," the maid said with a nod. "The doctor and some of her family members are their but she would you like you to be with her, as well."

"She does? I would be more than happy to be with her during this time. Oh, how exciting! I get to be one of the first people to see her and Phillip's baby," Belle said happily and went into the sitting room to get her cloak. She returned to the front of the shop with it on. "Shall we go now?"

"Yes, Mrs. Ragg. She's been experiencing some discomfort all morning and the doctor thinks by tonight the baby shall be here."

"By tonight? Alright. What time by tonight do you think the baby will be here?"

Toby laughed. "Darling, you can't know exactly when a baby is born. It's all very unpredictable."

"I know that but what if the baby isn't born until very early in the morning?" She asked worriedly.

"I do not mind if you stayed there. This is a important moment in Madeline's life and you should stay with her and her family as long as you'd like tonight," Toby said and kissed her on the cheek.

Belle nodded and returned a kiss. "If you say so. I'll try not to be home too late, though," she said as she opened the door of the shop.

"If it is raining, stay the night there, I don't want you getting hurt."

The maid walked out of the shop and was obviously in a hurry to get Belle to Madeline's.

Belle walked out and before she closed the door, she called out to Toby; "Understood. Goodbye, Toby. I love you!"

Toby watched her close the door and leave hurriedly with the maid. "I love you," he said quietly and then looked above him. Perhaps he should go upstairs and wait to see if there were any customers that would come in.

Once he was upstairs, he tidied up the drawers that contained his knives and barber supplies. He took out his barber knife and examined it to see if it needed to be sharpened. Since he had nothing better do, he decided to sharper the blade until it was ready to give the closest shave known to man. When he was finished sharpening it, he began to hear the sound of footsteps. Was it a customer? He slowly went to the window and peeked below. There was no carriage. How strange. Then he thought of the worst situation. What if it was Sweeney's ghost? Or someone who knew his secret? His barber knife was in hand, and he was ready to attack if needed.

The shadow of a man was outside of his door and the door knob began to turn slowly. Toby's heart began to beat faster as the door began to open. Toby was about to lunge for whomever was outside the door when it flew open.

" 'Appy Sunday!"

"Dammit, Porter!" Toby shouted and leaned against the barber chair to catch his breath. He folded up his barber's knife and placed it in his pocket. "What the hell are you doing here?" He asked.

"Now, now, no need to get all upset with me," Porter frowned, as he closed the door behind him. "Did I scare you? Who were you expectin'?"

Toby was calm again and faced Porter with a forced smile. "I-I don't know… Your arrival was just unexpected. It's good to see you, Porter."

"Good to see you too, Tobias," Porter said, pulling Toby into a hug. Toby hugged his friend and then pulled away. "What brings you here?" He wondered how on earth Porter was allowed to be released from the asylum without an officer present to watch over him.

"Well, Toby, I'll yell ya after I hear how you and Belle have been," Porter smiled. "She wasn't downstairs when I walked in. I assumed she was out or something'."

"Our marriage has been grand. And yes, Belle is with a close friend of hers at the moment. Her friend is going to have a baby today, most likely, and she requested for Belle to be there," Toby explained.

"Aw, ain't that sweet? Babies are such a joy. At least, I think they are. I'll never know," Porter laughed.

Toby smiled and nodded. "They are. Belle and I are expecting one of our own in about five months."

Porter's eyes widened. "You're gonna 'ave a baby, mate? Well, congratulations!" He exclaimed. "That is great news, Toby. You and Belle will be so 'appy.

"Thank you. We already are very anxious about it all. The only problem is, we're a bit low on income and can't afford much right now. The pie shop is currently closed because we can't afford to buy supplies and I now am a barber in here but I'm not earning enough," he explained.

"Really? That's a shame. I'm sorry, Toby. Chin up, though! You'll get customers soon and then everything will be the way you want it to be."

"Hmm, thank you, Porter. And you? How have you been? Why aren't you back at the mad house?"

"Well, I feel guilty for tellin' you why after you've told me your situation," Porter said, glancing at the ground.

"No, tell me, please," Toby said.

"You're not gonna believe it," Porter began. "A few days ago, I get a visit from a long lost uncle of mine. Apparently the man's extremely wealthy and 'e told me 'e 'as money for me! Toby, I'm a rich man!"

The word "money" caught Toby's attention. "What do you mean, Porter?" He asked, leaning forward with interest.

" Well, 'e 'as money for me and 'e even gave me some money! I have it with me," Porter said as he reached into his tattered coat pocket. "Look!" He held up an envelope. "I've got about two 'undred pounds in this envelope. That's the most money I've ever 'ad!" Porter waved the envelope in the air and Toby watched it as if he were a cat watching his dinner scurry before him.

"That is a lot of money," Toby said quietly. More than enough to purchase supplies for the shop and have extra money left over for himself and Belle.

"So, I'm gonna put it away at the bank. The asylum trusted that I wouldn't run off or anythin' so they sent me without an officer. I'm supposed to be back there in less then an hours but I decided I'd stop by and see you first," he smiled and then shoved the envelope back in his coat pocket.

"I'm glad you did," Toby said, almost in a daze. He began to slowly pace, which gained an odd look from Porter.

"What you doin?" He asked.

"Thinking," Toby replied. He stopped pacing and stared out of the window with his brows furrowed. He needed that money.

"Oh, well," Porter laughed. "I 'ave a rather funny story to tell you about what went on in the asylum last week. Remember that one bloke…"

Porter's voice became inaudible to Toby as his thoughts became louder. He heard a voice in his head telling him-no, _tempting_ him into taking the money from Porter.

"_Porter doesn't need it," _the voice in his head told him. _"You need that money, Toby. You need it for yourself, Belle and the baby. Don't you want everything to be perfect?" _

"How am I supposed to do that?" Toby whispered. Porter hadn't heard him; he was still busy yapping away with his story.

"_Use your own twisted imagination, Toby," _the voice was deeper, almost demonic sounding this time but Toby was not frightened. He felt like the voice had control over Toby and it made him feel strangely powerful. His hand slid into his pocket and he felt the cool silver of the blade.

"_Do it." _

Toby abruptly turned around faced Porter. "Porter?" He asked.

"Yes?" Porter laughed. He had just finished his story and was still laughing about it. "Wasn't that story funny?" He asked.

"Hilarious," Toby said simply and approached him. "Porter, would you be interested in a shave?"

Porter blinked at him. "But I shaved a few days ago."

"Well, you need another one." Toby grabbed Porter by the shoulder and lightly guided him to the barber's chair.

Porter kept quiet about Toby's sudden haste. "Well, do I get this shave free because I'm a friend?" He joked. "I'm only jokin',Toby," he laughed and then looked at Toby, who was staring at the barber knife in his hand, as if it were a precious stone.

"I know you are," Toby said darkly without taking his gaze off of his knife.

Porter noticed that there was something very different about Toby. Toby seemed to change within the minutes that had passed since he had arrived.

"_You've done it before, Toby. You can do it again. Nobody will ever know," _the voice encouraged.

Toby nodded at the voice's words and smirked as he began to walk to the front of the chair. He walked as if one would walk when they were in a daze or in a hypnotic state. The dark force within him now made him feel as if there was nothing or no one that can stop him from doing what he was about to do. He felt invincible as if he could do everything without anyone ever knowing.

He couldn't help but enjoy seeing Porter sitting there, helpless, not having any idea as to what was about to happen.

"You alright there, Toby? You look a bit… crazed," Porter gulped. He suddenly felt fear now as his friend gave him a dark look. Something had happened to Toby and Porter knew not what it was.

"I'm not. I assure you."

Porter nodded and then glanced towards the door. " 'Ow long's this gonna take? I 'ave to get to the bank."

"Not too long," Toby said as he stood behind the chair now. "A few minutes… Or less."

Porter took notice to the sinister tone in Toby's voice. He had never heard Toby speak in the way before; it was as if he was another person completely. He ignored the frightening thought.

" What's your price for it?"

"Oh, it shouldn't cost you much," Toby said, leaning towards the other side of the chair so Porter would be able to see him. Porter suddenly saw the blade glisten to the side of him. Porter began to lightly shake out of nervousness. What was his friend doing? The blade was now almost touching Porter's throat.

" 'Ow much is this going to cost again?" Porter asked desperately, in hopes of making conversation.

"Like I said, not much… Just your life."

And with one swift movement, the blade had cut right across Porter's throat.

* * *

Belle faced the window as Madeline's maids and doctor tended to her. She had been in labor all day and now that it was early evening, the doctor announced that the baby would be born soon. The reason why Belle was facing the window was because she had annoyed Madeline with all her questions. Every time a wave of pain came over Madeline, Belle would question her as to what if felt like, which caused Madeline to scream at her to shut up. Belle knew that Madeline didn't mean it and she was only acting that way because of the pain but Belle was still curious. Madeline was a brave and strong woman but was Belle the same way? She wondered if she could be as brave, as Madeline, when her time came. She hoped so. Madeline's mother was present in the room, as well as her sister. They lived out of London so they were grateful that they had arrived just in time for the baby to be born.

Belle was watching the dark clouds slowly move in the sky when she heard the doctor tell Madeline that it was time for the baby to be born. Belle slowly turned around and looked at the bed. "Can I come back now?" She asked.

"Only if you promise to not to annoy me questions," Madeline told her in a pained voice.

Belle nodded. "I promise," she said quietly. She was extremely nervous for Madeline but also very excited to see her baby.

"Alright, come back," she heard Madeline tell her. Belle quickly retied her blonde hair up and sat next to Madeline's bed. She noticed that Madeline had tears in her eyes.

"Why are you crying?"

"I wish Phillip was here," Madeline's said, almost sobbing.

Belle sigh sadly and grabbed Madeline's hand. "He is here, Madeline. He's here with you right now. I know he is. He'd want you to be strong, Madeline. You're going to be a wonderful mother to this child. Your child will know how much of a wonderful, hard working, caring father he or she had, as well. It'll be wonderful," she said comfortingly.

Madeline gave Belle's hand a squeeze. "Thank you," she said, smiling at Belle. Belle returned a smile but said nothing since Madeline's family members began to say things to her in soothing voices. Belle suddenly shivered and her mind was filled with thoughts of what it would be like if something terrible had happened to Toby before their child would be born. She would not be able to go on without him. Or what if something happened to Belle or the baby? What if something happened to both her _and_ the baby? She hated the thought and tried to ignore it by focusing on Madeline, but just couldn't. The thoughts remained in her mind and caused her to stay silent until Madeline's baby was born.

* * *

Toby almost stumbled back when he felt free of the dark force that was within him. Breathing heavily, he dropped his barber knife and stared at what was before him. There was Porter, slouching in the chair. His throat was sliced open and his clothes were drenched in blood.

"Oh my God," Toby breathed and ran up to the chair. "Porter?" He cried and grabbed his dead friend by the shoulders. "Porter!" He shouted and shook his friend lightly, not wanting to believe what he was seeing. The lifeless Porter's head simply hung low and he remained still.

"Porter?" Toby asked once more and felt tears in his eyes. "I didn't do this to you, Porter. It wasn't me! At least, I-I-it was me but it wasn't _me_."

Toby did not remember even thinking about doing this to Porter. It wasn't him. It couldn't have been. It had to be someone else or something else. Something had taken control of Toby and caused him to do this to his best friend. What was it?

"_It was very much you." _

This time, the voice wasn't in Toby's head; Toby heard the voice as if whomever was speaking was in the room with him.

"It was not me!" Toby shouted, his hands were shaking now. "It was you!"

"_I had no part in this. I merely suggested it. You agreed to it without even knowing. You enjoyed the idea. It was your jealousy, your greed and your lust for blood."_

Toby buried his face in his hands. "I did not intend for my feelings to turn into this!"

"_There's no use feeling guilty about it. It's in the past. You'll learn to live with it, just as you did when you murdered Mr. Garwood. Now, all you have to do is get rid of the evidence." _

Toby looked at Porter once again. "I need to give him a proper burial. He was my closest friend! He did not deserve this! He was innocent," he cried.

"_If you give him a proper burial, everyone will know it was you! No one will miss him! He had no family. He was an insane chit, that's what he was. Get rid of him."_

Toby remained still for a moment. He felt like he was going to be sick. "No one must ever know," he said quietly.

"_And no one will ever know. The asylum thinks he was merely on his way to the bank, due to return soon. They won't even think that he paid you a visit."_

"The visit that ended his life," Toby seethed and had his foot on the pedal of the chair. He was about to press down on it when he remembered something. The money. Porter had no use for it now and surely it wouldn't be wrong of him to steal the dead man's money. Would it?

Toby slowly reached into Porter's coat pocket that luckily was not stained with blood. He quickly took out the envelope and opened it. Sure enough, two hundred pounds were in it. He placed the envelope in a drawer to retrieve it later.

"_You earned that, Toby." _

Toby said nothing and pressed on the pedal of the chair. The floor opened up in front of him and the chair became flat. Toby closed his eyes and looked away as Porter's bloody body slid off the chair and into the underground bake house with a gruesome sounding crack.

He quickly ran downstairs and to the bake house, in hopes no one would see him with the blood on his clothes. When he entered the bake house, he promptly opened the door to the oven and walked over to Porter's body. He grabbed the dead man's wrists and began to drag him across the floor; he'd clean up the blood later. As he dragged the man to the oven, he passed by the meat grinder that had not been used in quite a while. Toby suddenly stopped dragging Porter and instead, walked over to the meat grinder. He studied the machine and then looked down at Porter.

After a few moments, he suddenly had a terrifying idea.


	17. Chapter 17: Fortunes Told

"Oh, Madeline, he's precious!" Belle exclaimed as she gazed upon Madeline's newborn son.

"Thank you," Madeline smiled at her weakly and then looked down at her son. She had hardly taken her eyes off of him since he was born. "His name is Phillip."

"He looks like him too," Belle heard Madeline's mother say, in which, Madeline agreed.

"We're so very proud of you, Madeline. I'm sure Phillip is, as well," Belle smiled.

"I hope so." Madeline was still in a daze from the wonder of her new child so Belle decided that it'd be best to ler her have this moment to herself.

"Are you going to return home, Mrs. Ragg?" Madeline's mother asked. Belle lightly shrugged her shoulders. "Well, it is raining outside… Toby had said he didn't want me to return home in the rain," she stated as she glanced towards the window. Night had fallen and a heavy rain was pouring down. It was certainly not safe for her to take a carriage if she wanted to make it home alive.

"Stay here, please" Madeline entreated. "It's dangerous for you to leave at this hour in that rain. Toby will understand."

Belle nodded. "You're right. I shall stay here then and leave early in the morning."

"Wonderful," Madeline said and glanced over at one of her maids. "She will have the spare bedroom down the hall."

The maids nodded and slowly walked to the door, waiting for Belle to follow them.

"Goodnight, Madeline. I'm so happy for you." Belle kissed her forehead.

"And I am so grateful that you could be here. Soon you'll have on of your own," Madeline smiled.

"Yes, I shall," Belle sighed happily and then heard one of the maids cough to get her attention. "Well, I'll let you rest now." Belle said her goodnights to Madeline's family and left the room with her maids. Once she was in bed, she began to think of what life would be like once her child was born. She imagined Toby being a hardworking, loving, father towards the child. He would teach him or her how to work about the shop and maybe even allow them to join him in the bake house every once in a while. Belle felt she would be a great mother, as well. She would always be there for the child to support and love them through anything. Aunt Elizabeth would certainly spoil the child. They would be the perfect family and nothing would ever separate them.

* * *

Toby backed away from the meat grinder slowly to marvel at what he had just did. Porter's remains were now ground up and ready to be put in a pie. Why had he not thought of this before? He remembered when Mrs. Lovett and Mr. Todd did this, the pies sold like mad. No one realized what they were consuming and they were always returning back to the shop for more. He didn't even know it. When he was a boy, he would consume those pies like there was no tomorrow and he never realized once what he was eating until he saw the dark secret in the bake house with his own eyes. He certainly would not eat another one but if it paid, then he would give them to his customers. His customers would have each other. He would only kill people he knew would not be missed and people he knew whose families would not suspect him of committing the crime. Guilt was no longer to be an emotion for Toby. He had to be careful if he was going to turn the barbershop into a slaughter room. He would have to keep the door locked at all times and find a way to make less of a bloody mess. Belle would certainly be forbidden to go upstairs. He could never let her find out; she would think he was the devil himself. He had to protect her from his own secrets, especially now that they were going to have a child. It would be a difficult secret for him to keep but if Sweeney Todd could hide it for so long, why can't he? It wasn't as if he was doing it because he enjoyed it; he was doing it because he had to provide for his family and this was the only way for him to do so. Over the next few days, he knew that more customers would come into the barber shop but they would not be returning back home afterwards. He would be successful and nothing would stand in his way.

Belle left Madeline's home early the next morning and quickly returned home with some news for Toby. When she arrived at the shop, she walked in to find the place empty.

"Toby?"

No answer. Perhaps he had gone out to get something. She took her cloak off, hung it up and went into the bedroom to change into another dress. When she was finished, she heard the door open.

"Toby? Is that you?" She asked.

"That is correct," she heard him say. Belle walked out to the front of the shop and saw Toby, who looked like he was deprived of sleep. "Where were you?" She asked.

"In the bake house," he replied as he went up to her and gave her a quick kiss.

"The bake house? So early? We don't even have any supplies to use in there," she said with a hint of suspicion.

"I still had to clean the over," Toby simply stated. "Come, let's go to the sitting room," he said, taking her hand and leading her into the next room where she sat on the red sofa and Toby sat across from her.

"How's Madeline?" Toby asked.

"Oh, she's marvelous! She had a boy. He's so precious. He looks very much like his father. She named him Phillip. Isn't that wonderful?" Belle asked happily.

Toby smiled at his wife's liveliness. "That is very wonderful. How exciting for her. It'll be our turn soon," he said, looking at his wife's stomach. Belle followed his gaze. "Yes, I simply cannot wait."

"Neither can I… What's that on the mantle?" Toby asked as he eyes the paper that was laying on the mantle.

"Oh, that!" Belle said and stood from the sofa. "The paper was delivered to Madeline's home this morning and she allowed me to take it because there's something in here that I wanted to show you." She walked over to the mantle and handed him the paper. "Front page," she said before sitting back down.

Toby unfolded the paper so that the front page lay flat on his lap and read. In large, bold letters there was a heading that he read out loud, "THREE NIGHT CARNIVAL: _Freaks, Festivities and Fortunes. "_ He looked at Belle. "I didn't know there was a carnival here in London now," he smirked. "Is that what you wanted to show me?"

Belle laughed and rolled her eyes. "No, darling! Read what is on the side column," she said, her expression becoming serious.

"Oh, I apologize," Toby chuckled and lowered his eyes to the side column. "ESCAPEE FROM BEDLAM. _A mental patient, by the name of Porter Adair, was giving leave for the afternoon. He never returned and is announced to have gone missing. Officers are currently searching for him. A source states that he was carrying a fairly large amount of money with him and is believed to have been attacked or perhaps murdered," _Toby stopped reading.

"I'm so sorry, Toby," Belle said quietly.

Toby's eyes narrowed at the words on the paper. "He's fine. Porter is just fine," he defended. "He's a smart man. He'll find his way back to the asylum."

"I hope you're right. They wrote that he had a large amount of money with him. Perhaps someone knew and followed him and when the time was right, they-"

"That did not happen. Who would hurt someone like Porter?" Toby asked, keeping his gaze on the paper to avoid Belle.

"Someone horrible that has no heart, that's who! Toby, there are truly evil people in the word who are selfish and would do something horrible in order to gain something so unimportant such as money."

"Money _is_ important, Belle," Toby murmured.

"Not important enough to kill over," she huffed and crossed her arms. "I shall keep my hopes high, though. I shall believe that he is alright… Since he still may be."

"He _is_ alright," Toby stated. "But thank you for brining it to my attention that he is being searched for."

"Oh, of course," Belle said and folded her hands on her lap. There was a silence between them for a minute or so. Belle wondered why Toby was not worried about his best friend. She was expecting him to be extremely worried and leave at once to join in the search for Porter.

"Do you want to attend the carnival tonight?"

Toby's question caught Belle off guard. "I'm sorry?"

"The carnival," Toby repeated. "We should go to it."

"Toby, you know very well that we cannot afford that. Carnivals frighten me, anyway."

"What's there to be afraid of? They're just people who happened to be gifted in unusual ways," Toby laughed. "And we can afford it."

"They're talents are ghastly," Belle said and then tilted her head slightly. "How?"

"How? Well, yesterday when you were at Madeline's home, I received quite a few customers in the barber shop. I earned some profit," he said as he slipped his hand into his coat pocket and took out the envelope that contained Porter's money. He kept it at a fair distance from Belle. He did not want her to reach for it and see how much money was inside.

"Did you? Toby, that's wonderful! How much did you earn?" Belle asked anxiously.

"More than enough," Toby said confidently.

"We should save it, don't you agree? If it's a lot then it should be saved or used on supplies for the shop rather than some silly old carnival," Belle said as she stood from the sofa. Toby stood, as well. "Belle, we haven't had an outing together since our honeymoon. The carnival is the perfect outing for us to go to now that we have money. We won't spend much. I promise, you'll enjoy it… Please?" Toby asked.

Belle sighed and gave in. "We will attend the carnival only if you promise that work shall continue very soon. We need to begin making more of an income than what you have at the moment."

"Oh, don't you worry, my sweet. I shall be getting fresh supplies soon," Toby grinned.

* * *

"Toby, I don't like this place," Belle whispered, clinging to Toby's arm as they two walked through the carnival. "I came here with Madeline's family once when I was younger and there was a man dressed as a devil and he followed us everywhere!"

"Relax, darling. They're just people… And I won't let any devils follow you around," Toby whispered back. Belle nodded and looked to the group of people standing to the right of her. They were all crowded around a man who was twisting his body into positions that were very much unnatural and frightening. Belle gasped and looked ahead of herself. "Our child is never coming to one of these. Never. Do you understand?"

Toby laughed and kissed Belle's cheek. "You're very tense today, aren't you? Whatever you say, Belle."

Toby quite enjoyed the carnival. He had attended one with the other factory children when he was a young boy. The atmosphere really made him feel alive and he was eager to see what the carnival had for them. The sounds of hearty laughter, screams and awes from the amazed spectators, roars of animals and music filled the air. There was always something to see at every corner and direction one looked. They had already seen a man covered in a black sheet playing a grim song on the violin and a woman, who put on a little show with small trained dogs. Belle enjoyed the small dogs the most. They had also seen a man swallow a sword, a man roll his eyes into the head and a young boy perform some magic tricks.

"What else is there to see, I wonder," Toby said quietly as he caught sight of a woman walking a tightrope. She had feathers in her hair and wore a scanty costume that caught the attention of fellow onlookers. When Belle realized what Toby was looking at, she slapped his arm. "Toby, what on earth are you looking at?"

"The woman walking the rope," he answered.

"You most certainly are not," Belle groaned. Toby looked at his wife and laughed. "I only wanted to see how you would react," he smirked and kissed her. "You would look much better in that costume, anyway."

Belle felt herself blush and shook her head. "Not in the condition I am right now, I would not," she said, trying to keep in her laughter.

"That is your opinion," Toby chuckled and walked away with her.

"Oh, what do you suppose is going on there?" Belle asked, trying to see. Since Toby was taller, he looked over the spectator's heads. "Oh, there's a ring leader, a monkey and a lion!" He told her.

"Is there? Those poor animals. They don't belong in places like this," Belle sighed. Toby almost rolled his eyes but instead smiled and moved closer to the crowd with her. "Let's watch, shall we?" He asked.

"But Toby, I can't see-" Belle's eyes widened when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She swiftly turned around and saw an older woman with long braided black hair, olive skin and an extravagant red cloak with small gems sewn in it.

"I'm sorry if I scared you, dearie," the woman said in a slightly accented voice. Toby turned around when he heard her voice and then stood in front of Belle. "What do you want?" He asked the woman. Belle peeked over Toby's shoulder to see the woman more clearly.

"My apologizes, kind man. I am Rahela, reader of fortunes. You two had a very unusual aura. I could sense it all the way from my tent," she said, motioning towards the small burgundy colored tent behind her. "Especially you, kind man," she said to Toby.

"Please leave," Toby demanded.

Rahela shook her head and laughed. "Kind man, I was going to ask if you would like me to read you and your pretty lady's fortune. It won't take long, I promise. It won't cost you a lot, either." Her words sparked interest in Belle. She had never had her fortune told before and it was always something that both made her feel frightened and curious.

"No-" "How much?" Belle asked as she stepped out from behind Toby. Toby opened his mouth in shock and looked at Belle. "How much is it?" She asked again.

Rahela grinned. "Kind woman, for you and him, I shall give you your fortune for a pound… Each."

Belle nodded and then looked at Toby. "That's not very much." "Belle, what do you think you're doing? You can't trust fortune tellers. They're scandals and all they say are lies," he miffed, knowing very well that Rahela could hear him.

"Toby, stop," Belle retorted. "I'm interested in what our fortune is. I know it's not true but let me do something enjoyable while we're here. You said it would be enjoyable. Please?" She asked.

Toby sighed and glanced at Rahela. He understood why Belle would want to have her fortune read. It's quite tempting when someone can tell you your future for a small amount of money. If this was what Belle wanted, it is what she shall get. "We'll do it," he said.

"Oh, thank you, Toby!" Belle smiled and kissed him. Rahela's grin grew wider and she took Belle's hand. "Follow me," she sang and walked into her tent with Belle. Toby quickly followed behind.

The inside of the tent was bright from the abundance of lit candles. Charms and bottles of who knows what hung from the top of the tent. Rahela had a basket on the ground that had different colored bottles and fabrics spilling out of it, along with some gems. A round table stood in the middle of the tent with a purple sheet over it. In the center of the table there was a crystal ball. Three wooden chairs were placed around the table. Rahela instructed Belle and Toby to sit down and then proceeded to sitting across from them. Belle anxiously looked around the tent and at the crystal ball.

"I would like to have my money before I start this for you two," Rahela said as she placed a head scarf on her head.

Toby took the envelope out of his coat pocket but hid it from Rahela. He placed two pounds on the table and put the envelope back in his coat.

"Wonderful," Rahela smiled and placed the money in the bodice of her dress. "Now, would you like me to see your fortune by using the crystal ball first or by the cards?"

"The cards? What kind of cards?" Belle asked, leaning forward in her seat.

"The tarot cards, dearie," Rahela said. "We shall do those first then. Which one of you would like to go first?"

"Hmm, darling, you go first," Belle said to Toby. Toby lightly sighed and then nodded. "I'll go first then."

"You seem skeptical," Rahela said as she placed the deck of cards in front of him. "Shuffle them and while you are doing so, think about the question you are most interested in knowing or what you are anxious about in life."

"It's because I am," Toby said and began to shuffle them. When he was done, he gave them back to her.

"Alright, let's see," Rahela said and waved her hand over the cards. She spread out the cards from the deck and instructed Toby to choose three. "The three cards represent your past, present, and future."

Toby chose three cards at random and placed them in front of him, still face down. Rahela placed the other cards into the deck and leaned forward to see his cards. "We are going to turn them all over one by one. The first is your past… Ready?"

"Do it," Toby told her. Rahela nodded and turned the first card over. Toby saw a wheel on the card.

"Ah, the Wheel of Fortune," Rahela said. "In your childhood, did something abruptly change for you? For the better or for the worse?"

Toby crossed his arms. "Well, I worked in a factory when I was a boy… Then I was employed by a world famous barber. He treated me horribly but then I was taken in by Mrs. Lovett."

"That change was for the better," Belle said.

"Yes, I suppose it was… For a while," Toby said. Rahela was pleased with his answer. "The cards do not lie. Next, we see your present," she said and gently turned over the next card. "The five swords… You shall be successful."

Toby couldn't help but smile. "I will? Good, because-" "But the way you gain your success will not bring you happiness," Rahela interrupted. Toby said nothing and glanced at Belle, who didn't believe that card. "Well, I believe Toby and I shall be very happy regardless of whether we have success or not," she smiled.

Rahela chuckled and then placed her hand over Toby's last card. "And now, for your future."

Toby couldn't help but become anxious when it came to his last card. Rahela slowly turned it over. Her eyes went wide as she looked at the image of the card. Toby's and Belle's did, as well.

"Is that a demon?" Toby asked.

"It is the Devil," Rahela feared.

"What does that mean?" Belle asked eagerly.

"It means that you, kind man, are going to face temptation. A greater evil that you may not be able to overcome. I pray that this will not be true for you but, as I said before, the cards do not lie."

Toby scoffed. Fear was beginning to set in. "I do not believe any of this nonsense."

Belle said nothing but had an expression of fear on her face. "I would like to see my cards next," she said quietly.

"Belle, why? After what I just received as my fortune? You do not need to hear this," Toby told her.

"I'm sure the kind woman will not receive anything that you have. She is a pure spirit. Come, child, shuffle your cards," Rahela insisted and placed the deck in front of Belle. She awkwardly shuffled them and Rahela spread them out for her.

"I'll choose the one that are closest to me," Belle said as she took the cards that were right in front of her.

"Now, here is your past," Rahela said and turned the first card over. "You received the Chariot. Was there much conflict in your past?"

Belle hesitated for a minute before speaking. "Yes. My father went missing and I refused to believe that he was dead and it very much caused problems. I would constantly go out looking for him when I was younger and my aunt would be very angry with me."

"I see… Now, you're present," Rahela smiled and turned the card over. "The Star. How wonderful."

"What does it mean?" Belle asked her.

"The Star means hope. Are you hopeful for something at the moment?"

Belle smiled. "Yes, I very much am," she said and held Toby's hand under the table. "I'm hopeful for us having a successful business and I'm hopeful for a wonderful future with our child."

"That's a very good hope. We shall see what the future has to say about that hope of yours," Rahela said and turned the third card over. She gasped and looked at Belle. Belle lightly shrieked and turned the card over. "What is that?" She asked. Toby, who hadn't seen what the card was, turned it back over and stared. A horrifying skeleton in a black robe was shown.

"Is this the card for death?" Toby asked, not wanting to hear the answer.

"It is," Rahela said gravely. Belle had her hands holding her face and her breathing became quickened. "Does it mean I'm going to die?"

"No!" Toby said and then looked back at Rahela. "She will not die! This card means nothing!"

Rahela shushed Toby. "This card does not necessarily mean that _you_ will die, dearie."

Belle felt somewhat relieved. "Then what does it mean?"

"It may also mean that a part of you will die. A bad habit perhaps or an old way that is not benefiting you… Unless you want the literal meaning of _a part_ of you."

Belle gasped. "Such as… my baby?"

"Yes," Rahela nodded grimly.

"That's not true!" Belle said, standing up. "Nothing is going to happen to my child! I do not want to hear it!" She said and left the tent.

Toby was even more angered now. "You may keep that damned money, Rahela. You shall regret this," he said and turned to leave.

"The spirits led me to you, Tobias Ragg," Rahela said with a quake in her voice.

Toby stopped and turned to face her. "What?"

"The spirits. They've told me about you and I sensed your demonic presence outside of my tent."

Toby's expression was hard. "You know nothing about me."

"I know about all the innocent blood on your hands Toby. There's more to come. Killing on purpose… There will be one, though, that is unintentional," Rahela warned.

Toby wanted to kill the woman right on the spot but before he could let his anger out, he dashed outside and found Belle watching the ring leader with the lion and monkey. She was trying not to cry.

"Belle," he said as he walked up to her. "That was all a lie. She's only doing it to frighten people and take their money."

Belle ignored him and held his hand. "Take me home, Toby. I don't want to be here anymore."

The two said nothing more to each other and walked through the dark London streets in silence. When they returned to the shop, they both got ready for bed and fell asleep in each other's arms… In silence.


	18. Chapter 18: Not While I'm Around

Belle and Toby may have been silent that night, but it was Belle's dreams that were the loudest in her mind. She tossed and turned and tried to drown out the voices in her head…

"_Darling, why did you leave?" _Belle asked her son, who was standing on the other side of the iron gate of the cemetery, surrounded by a thick fog.

Her son, an almost exact younger image of Toby, looked up at her. _"I had to leave, mama. Do you remember what happened?" _He asked her.

Belle screamed and tried to shake the gate open. _"No! Stay with me! Come back over here with your papa and I!"_

Her son shook his head and the fog settled. Clear images of gravestones were rising up from the ground as her son backed away from the gate. _"My place is here, mama. You shall see me one day." _

"_No! You don't belong there!" _Belle cried. She shook the gate even with more force but stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around and saw the dark figure with the slit throat and sweet grin. She shrieked and turned the other way. Her hands were shaking and tears were flowing down her face.

"_You need to help me! He's gone! My son is gone!" _Belle wailed.

"_There's nothing we can do, Belle."_

It was not the voice she had expected to hear. She spun around and the hand on her shoulder now belonged to Toby. She pulled herself away from him.

"_Toby, our son is over this gate! We need to bring him back!" _

_Toby grabbed her arm and began to pull her away from the gate as she tried to fight him off. _"Belle, there is nothing that you and I could do! He is gone! We need to return!"

"_I don't want to return, Toby! I want it to be the three of us! Just you and I and our son!" _Belle cried, pounding her fists into his chest. She heard Toby sigh and she was suddenly pulled against him. She buried her face in his shoulder and cried loudly.

"_The three of you will never be," _a new voice said.

Belle slowly lifted her head from Toby's chest and she turned to the direction the voice was heard. Rahela was standing near the gate now and Belle's child had disappeared.

"_This is what I warned you about, my dear Belle. You chose not to believe me. You two brought this tragedy upon yourselves," _Rahela thundered.

Belle ran from Toby's embrace towards Rahela but the figure of Rahela was gone. Belle groaned and turned around to see Toby but he was gone, as well.

"_Wh-What?" _Belle turned in all directions she possibly could but no one was to be seen. "_Where are you?! Why did you leave me, Toby?!" _

"_I'm sorry, Belle," _she heard him say. She faced the gate and saw Toby standing behind it now. She sprinted towards the gate and grabbed hold of the bars. _"No, you are not leaving me too!"_

"_It's what I deserve," _Toby insisted. Their son was hiding behind him and his image was beginning to fade. When Belle looked at Toby, she saw that he was beginning to fade, as well.

"_No, don't leave me!" _Belle ordered and shook the gate. _"Take me with you!" _

Toby and her son both said nothing and continued to fade away despite Belle's screams.

"_Don't leave me!" _

Toby's eyes shot open when he heard Belle scream. He sat up and moved closer to Belle, who was tossing, turning and screaming like a patient at Bedlam. He firmly grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her gently.

"Belle! Wake up!" Toby ordered. "You need to wake up now!"

Belle opened her eyes, which were filled with tears, and she slowly sat up and stared at Toby. She had to be sure she wasn't still dreaming. Belle lightly touched his face and then threw herself against him, crying once more. "Oh, Toby, don't ever leave me!"

Toby placed his arms around his wife and moved his hand slowly up and down her back. Her hot tears were on his neck and he felt her shivering in his arms. "Darling, I would not ever leave you," he consoled. Belle lifted her head and he could see the tears streaming down her face in the dark.

Belle blubbered. "I had a dream you-you and our child l-l-left me a-a-and I was all a-alone!"

Toby sighed and kissed her hand. He never wanted his wife to think that way. He was supposed to protect her and make her feel safe.

"That is not going to happen, Belle, I promise you," Toby said and began to wipe her tears. He pushed her hair away from her face, which had stuck to it from her tears and sweat. His touch calmed her and her breathing slowed and her cries became soft, barely audible whimpers. "Let me get something for you," he murmured and got out of bed. Belle nodded and hugged her arms around herself. Without Toby's arms around her, her thin nightgown barely did enough to keep her warm.

Toby went to Belle's small vanity and grabbed a small cloth and wet it in the basin, that she had filled with water before they had gone to bed. He sat back on the bed and dabbed the cloth all around her face hoping that it would relax her. "Is that better?" He asked.

Belle nodded. "Much better," she said quietly. Toby gave her a small smile and got up from bed again to place the cloth back on her vanity.

"I think you and the child were separated from me because of death," he heard Belle say. He swiftly turned.

"What do you mean?" Toby asked curiously and rejoined her on the bed. "Tell me."

"There was a gate," Belle began. "There was a gate and our son was on the other side of it. Behind him were gravestones," she said and tried to stop herself from crying but she continued. "Then you were with me but then that fortune teller from the carnival appeared," an anger was rising in her voice. "Then she disappeared and you disappeared and when I looked at the gate, you were behind it now," she said and began crying again.

Toby remained expressionless. He did not enjoy the thought that this dream was causing Belle to be like this. He had to find a way to make her believe that that would never happen since the dream meant nothing.

Belle spoke again. "It's all that fortune teller's fault! She frightened me with her talk of death and now look what she's done!" She cried and the tears were not streaming down again.

Toby scowled. "Damn that fortune teller," he murmured. "None of it's true, Belle-" "Wait, there's more!" Belle stopped him. "Before you appeared in my dream, someone else was there in your place," she said, her eyes widening as she spoke. The image was all coming back to her mind clearly.

"Who, Belle?" Toby asked.

"The dark figure," Belle answered. "The one with the-the-the," she couldn't speak anymore due to her rapid breathing and crying but Toby understood.

"Don't think about it, Belle," Toby said as he tried to calm her. "Here, lie down," he said but Belle shook her head. "N-no! I-I can't go b-back to sleep, T-Toby! All I'll see and dream of is d-darkness!"

"You don't have to sleep. You and I are going to lie back down and I'm going to talk to you about something, alright? You need to stop crying, Belle. It isn't good for the baby," Toby frowned and gently began to push her down.

Belle gasped and looked up at him, not realizing that her head had already hit her pillow. "The baby, Toby! What's going to happen to the baby? The baby's going to leave me just like in the dream!" She wailed.

Toby moved over to his side of the bed, pulled her to his chest and placed his arms around her. "Belle, nothing is going to happen to you, the baby or me. Dreams are not true, Belle."

"But some dreams are!"

"That was not a dream. That was a nightmare. That's what you tell me when I have nightmares, too. I had dreams like that, as well, remember? But look at us; we're alright. Nothing has happened and nothing will happen," Toby insisted and kissed Belle's forehead. Belle was silent for some time after he said that. Toby remained silent, as well, so she can calm herself down. He did not know how many minutes had passed before Belle spoke again.

"Toby, I'm still so afraid for us," he heard her say.

"I know you are. Just believe that there is no reason to be. You have me and soon the baby will be here with us and everything will be perfect. Just imagine it," Toby smiled but Belle said nothing. Toby thought of other ways he could make her feel better but only one thing came to mind. "Mrs. Lovett and I sang a song once when I was afraid."

Belle looked up at him with interest. "Did you? Do you remember it?" She asked.

"I remember it very well. Would you like to hear it?"

"Please," Belle said with a nod.

"Alright," Toby smiled and took a deep breath. He hoped it would calm her down and make her forget her nightmare. "My voice is not what it used to be so, pardon me if I sound absolutely horrid," he said. He felt Belle's body lightly shake. She was laughing.

"You won't sound horrid. If you do, it won't matter," she said.

Toby smiled and kissed her gently before placing one hand on her stomach. "I'll sing it for you and the baby," he said, in which she replied with a smile and a nod.

"_Nothing's gonna harm you, not while I'm around," _he began. _"Nothing's gonna harm you, no Belle, not while I'm around. Demon's are prowling everywhere, nowadays. I'll send 'em howling, I don't care. I've got ways." _

He heard Belle giggle. "Oh, will you?" She asked.

"You know very well that I would," he chuckled and continued. _"No one's gonna hurt you, no one's gonna dare. Other's can desert you, not to worry, whistle, I'll be there." _

"But I don't know how to whistle," Belle murmured sleepily.

"I'll teach you," Toby smiled. _"Demons'll charm you with a smile, for a while, but in time, nothing can harm you…," _Toby glanced down at Belle and saw that she saw lightly breathing and her eyes were closed. He gently lowered his sleeping wife back onto her pillow and kissed her cheek.

"_Not while I'm around." _

Toby awoke the next day in hopes that Belle would be feeling much better. Fortunately, she was soundly sleeping. He knew that she was exhausted and would not be waking up soon. He had woken up late, as well. It was most likely the afternoon now, instead of the morning. He quietly got ready for his day and went to the small sitting room. When he sat down on the red sofa, he noticed that the newspaper from yesterday was still there. He picked it up and looked at the front page. Surely the asylum was still looking for Porter. He felt that he should show some concern so Belle would not become suspicious of his lack of interest in finding his best friend. He then looked at main article about the carnival. He sighed and was about to toss it aside again until something caught his attention. The headline for the carnival stated that it was going to be there for three nights. The carnival would still be there tonight and so would Rahela.

He knew exactly what he would do. Would he go at this moment? No, it was still light out and someone would surely see him. He would have to go when it was loud, dark and chaotic. He could be patient for that. He would tell Belle that he was going to assist in a search for Porter so that she would not worry about him. He grinned at himself for being so clever.

To Toby's surprise, Belle was still asleep by the time it was early evening. He had become worried and checked on her a few times before and thankfully, she was still breathing. The dark sky was beginning to settle and Toby knew that he would have to leave soon. Before he left, he prepared Belle a small dish that contained bread and some fruit. He quietly walked into the bedroom and placed the plate on her vanity. Now, he had to write her a small note to say why he was gone. He sat at her vanity and quickly jotted down a note for her.

_Belle, _

_I thought it best not to wake you since you have been asleep all this time. I am leaving to join a small search party for Porter. I shall return later - not too late. I want you to rest and not worry about me or anything else. I have prepared you a small dish that you can find on your vanity. I hope you're feeling much better, darling. I love you. _

_ Ever yours,_

_ Toby_

Toby placed the note next to her pillow and quietly left to the carnival.

When he arrived, the carnival was filled with people. Screams and laughter once again filled the air, along with music. Toby would not be stopping to gaze upon any performers tonight; he was only determined on seeing one. When he approached the familiar tent, he checked his coat pocket to make sure his barber knife was there. He slowly walked closer, listening to know if Rahela was busy reading someone's fortunes. He heard no noise coming from inside the tent so he checked his surroundings before opening the tent. No one was watching since everyone was distracted by a performer, music or food. He quickly stepped into the tent and found Rahela looking through her small basket filled with different colored cloths and other things that Toby did not know of.

"In a minute, dearie," Rahela lilted and placed everything back inside the basket. She turned around with a smile and saw Toby standing there.

"Oh, Tobias Ragg! I was not expecting it to be you," Rahela said, almost nervously.

"The spirits didn't tell you I was returning?" Toby smirked.

"No, no, that they did not," Rahela answered. "What can I do for you? Come for another fortune? Perhaps a palm reading? Oracles?"

Toby stepped further into the tent. "I have not come for any of that."

"Oh." Rahela was a tad bit confused. "And where is your pretty little wife?"

"Resting."

Rahela smiled. "Ah, yes. She is with child. She must be tired very often. She seems weak. Is she taking good care of herself?"

"She is perfectly fine. What you said last night did not help her, though," Toby said angrily.

"Me? All I did was read her fortunes! It is what the girl wanted!" Rahela said in defense.

"But you frightened her! She was up last night sobbing and going on about a nightmare she had about death and our child dying! You have not the slightest knowledge of how it was for me last night to see her like that!" Toby shouted. "Who knows how many other people you've frightened to death with your damned fortunes."

"They want to know, so I simply tell them and it is their choice whether to believe it or not," Rahela stated. "Is that all you came here for? Was to try to make me feel guilty? If so then I am very sorry for making your wife feel that way. I wish her the best. Now," she pointed towards the entrance of the tent. "Please leave."

Toby shook his head and stepped closer to her. "No. No, I am not satisfied with that apology alone. You caused my wife great distress and I do not take that lightly."

Rahela cowered but mentally, she remained confident. "Then the poor girl is only going to gain more distress that you shall be causing her in the future." She backed away from him and faced the other way, where her small table filled with bottles and charms were. "Once again, leave. I am very busy."

Rahela heard no response from Toby and a frightening realization swept through her. "You won't be satisfied until you have revenge," she said quietly as she felt Toby's presence directly behind her. A cold touch of, what she knew was some sort of blade, touched her throat.

"That's the first truth I have heard you say," Toby seethed as he pressed the knife into her throat without hesitation. Rahela's arms flailed and she desperately tried to call for help. Soon, she was on the ground soaked with her own blood. Toby looked down on the dead woman with absolute disgust and cleaned his knife with the hem of her dress before placing it away in his coat pocket. He was glad that there was no blood on his clothing this time since he stood behind her and remained at a good distance. Enough time would pass before there would be someone who would find her dead and all would be wondering who had murdered Rahela, the reader of fortunes.

He quickly looked out from the tent and saw that no one was watching. He ran out and made his way out of the carnival by walking behind the carts and stages so no one would see him. From there, he quickly walked back to Fleet Street, where he knew Belle would be waiting for him.


	19. Chapter 19: A New Start

When Belle awoke, she turned over with a smile on her face expecting to see Toby next to her. To her surprise, he was gone. She sat up and looked at the window and saw that it was dark outside. Had she been asleep all day? She yawned and pulled the covers off of herself. When she did so, she heard something lightly touched the floor below her. She leaned over and noticed a small paper on the floor that must have been on her pillow from earlier. She picked it and read Toby's note. She was glad that he was going to go search for Porter. It had been quite a surprise to her when he had shown little interest upon learning of his best friend's disappearance. So she _had _been asleep all day. She walked over to her vanity, where she ate what Toby had left for her and brushed her hair as she hummed the song that Toby had sung to her the night before. She felt much better and the dream was not as frightening to her as much as it had been. She still wondered, though, if something terrible was waiting to happen to them. No matter, Toby would always be there to protect her and their child. When the she heard the door open, she slipped on her robe and stood.

"Toby?"

"Oh, excellent, you're awake! It's only me, don't worry," she heard Toby say. Belle smiled and practically ran out of the bedroom and up to him. "Darling, I missed you. Was I really asleep for that long?" She asked as she helped him take his coat off.

"Yes, you were, you silly, sleeping girl," Toby smiled and gave her a quick kiss. "Have you been awake long?"

Belle shrugged. "Twenty minutes, I would say. Not long… Are you hungry? I only ate one slice of bread out of the two. You may have it and I can boil you some potatoes; yes?" She asked.

"I'd like that. Thank you, Belle," Toby said as he went to sit on the sofa.

"Of course," Belle said and went to the front of the shop, where the small oven was. She opened the cupboard and took out the bag of peeled potatoes they had. "So, was the night a successful one?" She asked as she began to take them out.

"Just as I had planned," Toby said as he closed his eyes.

Belle dropped the potatoes in a larger pot and raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Toby opened his eyes and sat up. "What are you talking about?" He asked and waited anxiously to hear her reply.

"The search! The search for Porter. Did you help plan it?" He heard Belle ask.

Toby was silent for a moment as he tried to think of why in the world Belle would be asking about that. He suddenly remembered the note he had left for her. "Oh! The search! Yes, of course! I helped plan it tonight," he said.

"Oh, good. Any luck in finding him? Where did you search?"

Toby sighed and wished that Belle wasn't always asking him so many questions. "No luck at all and we searched all around. Places like the dock, the marketplace, the next streets over."

"And who was with you?" He heard her ask.

"An officer and a few other gentlemen," Toby said, hoping that would satisfy her curiosity. "I do believe that we've really lost old Porter."

"That's horrible, Toby," Belle sighed. "It is what it is, though. If Porter really is gone, God rest his soul. What do you suppose happened to him? Someone killed him for what- his money?"

Toby walked into the front of the shop and leaned over the counter. "Most likely. Someone was probably desperate and saw that he had the money on him, cornered him and killed him."

"I'm so glad we're not that desperate," Belle said and shook her head. "It's horrible what people can do these days just for money."

"Is my food prepared?" Toby asked. Money and murder was not a topic Toby wanted to discuss with Belle at the moment.

Belle looked at him. "Er-yes! Actually it is," she smiled. "Sit down," she said as she placed a plate on the table. Toby smiled and sat down, motioning to her to sit in the seat across from him, which she did.

"I was pondering on whether I should go see my aunt tomorrow or not," Belle said to him.

"Hm, I think you should go visit her. It's been a while," Toby said before he began to eat. With Belle out and visiting her aunt, he could be less anxious about her when he was upstairs working as a barber.

"Alright, I shall go see her then. She had said to me that she had wanted to take me to the marketplace with her and buy some things for the baby the last time I had seen her."

"Make sure she doesn't buy anything for our child that will end up making him or her look like a French poodle."

Belle laughed. "Of course not. What will you be doing tomorrow?"

"I'm going to open up the barber shop tomorrow since I didn't today," Toby answered.

"Oh, good! Hopefully a lot of people come in tomorrow so we can begin using the money earned to buy supplies when we re-open the shop," Belle said excitedly. "I miss having the shop open, to be honest. It gave me something to do."

Toby smiled at her. "Well, don't you worry. It'll be open before you know it."

* * *

Belle pulled down the hood of her cloak as she waited for her aunt to return from upstairs. She had not told her she was coming but she knew that her aunt had nothing better to do since no one was having any parties lately. She heard her aunt gasp as she quickly made her way downstairs. "Belle, it's been such a long time! My dear, you never visit me anymore!" She said as she ran up to her niece and pulled her into a tight embrace. Belle laughed since it was so unlike her aunt to do so.

"I'm sorry, Aunt Elizabeth. I've been so busy and tired and-" "Tired! Oh, yes, you're going to have that baby soon! Let me see you!" Her aunt said and quickly had her cloak removed. "Ah, you look just fine! When is my niece or nephew arriving?"

"Thank you," Belle smiled. "In about five months."

"That's wonderful. Here, let's go to the drawing room," Aunt Elizabeth said and began to walk away with Belle following. "And is Toby as happy as you are about this?"

"Oh, yes, very much," Belle said; it was a question that she has had to answer many times before.

"I'm glad," Aunt Elizabeth said as she entered the drawing room and sat down. Belle sat in the chair across from her and sighed. She had so many things on her mind that she wanted to tell her about, such as the dream she had or her and Toby's financial situation, but she thought it better to not bring it up. Toby would not want her to bring any of that into conversation with her aunt, anyway.

"What have you and Tobias been doing these past few weeks?" Aunt Elizabeth asked.

"Oh, well, we've been busy doing things for the shop and the like," Belle said.

"Really? I passed by the shop in my carriage on the way back from a friend's home and I saw no activity what so ever happening in that shop," Aunt Elizabeth said suspiciously.

"We were probably… Out or closed," Belle said sheepishly.

Aunt Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "I do hope you're not lying to me, Belle. Now, let's go shopping. I have some things I would like to purchase for the baby. Do you have a bassinet for the baby yet?" She asked as she stood from her seat.

"No, we do not. We don't have much for the baby, as of yet. We still have time," Belle said as she stood, as well.

"Poppycock. It is never too early. That child will be here before you even realize how quickly time has passed. Soon, you won't even be able to get out of bed! Oh, what will Toby ever do with you? You'll be useless!" her aunt cackled.

Belle glared. "It's not the same for all women. I'll be able to get out of bed and I'll be just as helpful to Toby as I am now," she said and left the room as her aunt followed behind her, still cackling at the thought.

"I refuse to shop with someone who is only going to be poking fun at me," Belle said as she stepped outside to get away from her witch of an aunt.

"Oh, you're too sensitive," Aunt Elizabeth chuckled and closed the door before her. Both aunt and niece walked arm and arm to the marketplace - with the company of a few humorous insults towards each other.

* * *

Toby grinned as he heard someone coming up the stairs. His first customer the day - the unlucky man would have a poor time here. He made himself look presentable and opened the door before his customer could.

"Ah, good day to you, sir," Toby smiled.

"And a good day to you," the man said. He was an older man and going by the condition that his suit was in - immaculate- the man was obviously wealthy. "I didn't know that you had opened up a barber shop here. It's a good thing you did because my other barber is out of the country for a few months," he said.

"Is he? That's a shame. I shall always be here when needed," Toby smiled took the man's hat and coat off to hang up on the rack. "Do sit down, Mr-"

"Hewitt," the man said and went to the barber chair. "Do you require pay before or after the shave?"

"Whichever works best for you, sir," Toby said as he went to the drawer that contained his barber knives.

"Oh, good! My money is actually in the pocket of my coat over there so I shall retrieve for you once this is finished," Mr. Hewitt told him. Toby had to suppress a smile; he thought it was just too grand that he told Toby where to look for his money once he was dead so Toby wouldn't have to go through his bloodied pockets.

"And how long do you think this shall take? I have another appointment afterwards," Mr. Hewitt said.

"Oh, that's dreadful. They'll miss you," Toby said quietly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that," Mr. Hewitt chuckled. "Hearing begins to go as you age."

"Oh, it was nothing," Toby insisted. "Now, let us begin."

* * *

"How's this? I think this is just so precious," Aunt Elizabeth said as she held up a tiny pink dress so Belle could see. "Any niece of mine shall dress like a respectable lady of society."

Belle laughed out loud. "A pink dress? It's a boy, Aunt Elizabeth," she said.

"A boy? Oh, no, no, it's impossible to know that for certain," Aunt Elizabeth said. "Do not be so silly, girl."

"But it is a boy," Belle demanded. She always imagined the child being a boy and even in her dream, she had a son.

"But how on earth do you know?" Her aunt asked as she placed the dress back where she had gotten it from.

"I just do… Oh, look at this! This is lovely," Belle said and held a soft white blanket against herself. "I think this would be perfect for the baby's bassinet, do you not agree?"

"I think that it's fine. I would prefer the pink one, though," Aunt Elizabeth frowned.

"Nonsense!" Belle laughed. "Aunt, if this child is not a girl, I promise you, Toby and I shall give you a niece in the future."

"Oh, yes, I forgot that you will most likely have more."

"Of course!" Belle smiled as she looked at the other shelves.

"But only if you two are actually living in a house, by then. Living in a shop is horrendous."

Belle sighed. "It's both our home and shop, Aunt. It has everything we need and Toby and I are very happy there."

"Of course, it is. Speaking of which, what is Toby up to today? He should have joined us," Aunt Elizabeth said as she joined her niece's side.

"Toby would not enjoy a shopping day with two women," Belle answered with a giggle. "He's actually working in the barber shop today. I'm glad I'm not at home, though. I'd get quite bored while he's all up there."

"And how much is he making by doing that?"

"More than enough, I'm sure. I have a feeling that today will be a good day for him with that."

* * *

"Thirty pounds," Toby said out loud as he emptied the pocket's of Mr. Hewitt's coat. "Thank you, Mr. Hewitt. That's very gracious of you," he said as he walked back to the chair. Mr. Hewitt's bloodied body sat lifeless in the chair. He went behind the chair, pressed the pedal and watched Mr. Hewitt fall into the bake house. Toby went to the rack to fetch his hat and dropped the man's top hat down with him. Toby decided to keep the man's coat since his was becoming tattered and it would be such a waste to throw it down with him.

As the afternoon went on, more customers began to climb up the wooden staircase and into Toby's death trap. He greeted a Mr. Ramsey, Mr. Wray, Mr. Elliot , Mr. Foster and a Mr. Dane and sent them all to their deaths. He spared one -a Mr. Reid, who had begun speaking about how blessed he was to find out about his wife being with child. Toby felt absolutely horrid for having to kill the man, since he knew that if he was in his position and someone had killed him, Belle would be devastated and heartbroken, just as Madeline was. He was not going to allow that to happen again so the fortunate Mr. Reid received the shaved that he came for and left without a scratch on him.

Toby had earned so much in that one day- both in money and in _fresh supplies_, that he decided to close up the shop and see what could be done in the bake house. The bodies of the dead men were toppled on top of one another. It was a ghastly bloody process but Toby successfully got the five men into the meat grinder without guilt or a thought. He even did it all without getting blood on his clothes, which took some effort. He stepped back from the machine, completely satisfied with himself and returned upstairs and into the shop.

"Toby!" He heard his name being called as he was walked through the front of the shop and almost out the side door to the upstairs. He turned and saw Belle poking her head out from the sitting room with a smile.

"Oh, you're back! That was quite hasty, don't you think?" Toby asked as he walked to the sitting room.

"Hasty? I've been gone all afternoon," Belle laughed. "You must have been very busy to not even notice how much time has passed," she said. Toby looked out of the window and saw that it was dark outside, already. Clearly, he hadn't been paying attention to the time.

"It's night already? Well, good because I'm exhausted," he said as he collapsed on the sofa. Belle joined him. "What did your aunt buy?" He asked.

"Oh! She bought the baby some blankets and a bassinet. The blankets and bassinet are at her house and she's going to have her butler deliver it to us tomorrow."

"Oh, good," Toby yawned.

"Did a lot of people go to the barber shop?" She asked.

"Quite a lot, actually. I had six customers and all were satisfied with my work. They said my barber skills are simply to die for," Toby grinned.

"Did they really?" Belle giggled. "I had no idea my husband was so skilled. That's wonderful, Toby. I'm so glad everything is finally getting settled. What were you doing in the bake house, by the way?"

"I was getting everything ready for tomorrow," Toby said.

Belle gasped. "Are we going to re-open the shop tomorrow?"

"Yes, we are! Tomorrow night, we shall re-open the shop and I'm sure as the days go by, more and more customers will come in." Toby remembered how many customers there were when Mrs. Lovett reopened the shop when she had began to use her _special _recipe. The customers had no idea what they were consuming but they enjoyed it so much that they kept returning for more.

"So, if you were in the bake house, that means you already have the meat and everything prepared for tomorrow, then?"

"That is correct, Belle," Toby said and stood. "We're going to be bringing in such a profit!"

"Toby, that's splendid news! I can hardly wait! I shall be the best help to you that I can be. Aunt Elizabeth was upsetting me and saying that I would become useless soon and not be able to even get out of bed," Belle sighed.

Toby laughed and kissed her. "Well, it'll be a couple of months more before you become useless. Try to make this time last," he teased.

"You're horrible," Belle said, trying to sound angry with him but failed miserably when she began to laugh along with Toby.

"Oh, Belle, you are quite an interesting girl," Toby said and kissed her hand. "Would my wife care to join me for bed?"

Belle raised an eyebrow. "She would love to," she said as Toby helped her up. "Come, let's go," she said eagerly and pulled Toby along with her. "Wait, wait, darling, I have to lock the doors," he chuckled.

"Right! I shall be waiting for you then," Belle smiled and quickly went into the bedroom. Toby then made his way to the front of the shop and began to unlock the front and side door. He was just about finished locking the side door when he heard shouts of agony from upstairs. He froze where he stood. He listened again but the shouts had stopped. He had a feeling that his mind was beginning to play tricks on him once more. He finished locking the door and quickly walked into the sitting room, but was stopped by the sound of the shouts again.

"Belle?" He called out loudly.

"Yes, darling? What's taking you so long?" He heard her ask from the bedroom.

"I-I-Did you hear something rather… Odd?" He asked.

"Odd? No, I did not. Why? What did you hear, Toby?"

Toby glanced up to see the ceiling. "Shouting, perhaps? Men shouting?"

"I did not hear shouting. It was most likely a group of intoxicated men outside walking home from the pub."

"Maybe you're right," Toby lied. So Belle had not heard the things he was hearing again. That was proof that it was all in his mind. He truly knew what was causing the shouts. The ghosts of the men who he had killed had returned so suddenly to terrorize him. He looked all around the sitting room before entering the bedroom and closing the door behind him. If there were any ghosts in his sitting room, he was thankful that he had not seen them and he was thankful that they were forgotten for the rest of the night.


	20. Chapter 20: Distances

Two months had come and gone. Business was better than ever for the Ragg's. The restaurant was always overflowing with customers and many of them waited for lengthy periods of time in order to try the, now famous, meat pies. Everyone would compliment Toby on the pies. They thought them to be delicious and even better than before. No one complained about the taste and everyone wanted to know what the "special ingredient", as Toby called it, was. It was a question that he would never answer.

The overflow of customers began slowly. At first, only a few were coming, then more than ten, then more than could be counted. The more customers that came to eat, the more customers that knew about the barber shop. The only reason why Toby was able to provide for all his customers was because he had more than a few per day in the barber shop. Each one met their unexpected death and by the end of the day, they were being served for dinner.

The income was increasing as each week passed, which pleased Toby immensely. He and Belle were able to finally purchase much needed things for the child, themselves and their home. The evenings seemed to last for forever for both Toby and Belle. Toby was constantly in the sweltering bake house and running back and forth to bring the fresh pies to the front of the shop. Belle was constantly on her feet bringing plates back and forth from tables and making sure every customer was satisfied. Now, in her seventh month of pregnancy, many customers, including Toby, began to advise her to rest and not work. Toby assured her that he could both serve and work in the bake house easily but Belle did not want to be useless as of yet. The nights did exhaust her but she knew that it was all well worth it.

It was a late Friday afternoon, and the two were preparing for the busiest day of the week. Belle read the paper as Toby lit the fireplace. The weather had cooled down drastically and Toby made every effort to keep his wife and the shop warm.

"Toby, there's more reports," Belle said as she read.

"Reports of what, love?" Toby asked as he stood from in front of the fireplace.

"Men going missing! Toby, there's so many more reports each week! It's horrible," Belle cried. Toby sighed and took the papers from his wife, who had become too emotional lately. The headlines always had the same words written upon it. The words missing in large, bolded letters and included were the name and description of the men who had been missing since the afternoon. Sometimes, the location, where they were last seen, was included and luckily, no reports ever mentioned the barber shop.

"Perhaps there is a killer on the loose!" Belle exclaimed from hear seat.

"Perhaps," Toby said and threw the paper into the fire.

"What are you doing? Toby, I was not finished reading that!"

"You don't need to read it, love. It's the same as it always is. I don't need those horrid things lingering in your thoughts. It upsets you."

"Hmm," Belle sighed glanced at the clock. "It's almost time for the shop to open." Toby said nothing but nodded in agreement. "Did you have many customers in the barber shop today?" She asked.

"I did, yes," Toby quickly replied. Belle was unaware that she was forbidden from going upstairs to the barber shop. Toby did not want her to come in at the worst time possible such as, the moment when he sends his victims to their graves. She had no interest in ever going upstairs, though, unlike the bake house, which Toby still kept locked at all times. She also was in the sitting room and resting in the bedroom during the afternoon, so she never had a chance to notice that the customers who went upstairs, never came back down. She remained ignorant of what was going on around her.

"Splendid!" Belle said as she slowly rose from the couch. "I'll go get ready, then. You should get to the bake house."

"I will," Toby said and watched her leave to the bedroom. When she closed the door behind her, he quickly left to the bake house and made the preparations for dinner. The disgusting pies, which he so feverishly prepared each day, were in the oven, waiting to be consumed. He almost wanted to laugh each time he brought the pies to the front of the shop. He knew he was cruel but if it was helping him support his family, it was necessary. He was glad that Belle's pregnancy made her detest pies. She never once asked to have one and the thought of any type of pie made her feel ill.

* * *

"And how are you, Mrs. Ragg? Exhausted?" Mrs. Walsh asked as Belle took her empty plate away.

"Oh, I'm quite well, thank you. Exhausted, yes. Work is always keeping me busy and the child never seems to stop moving," Belle said with a smile.

"Oh, he shall be quite difficult to raise, I can foresee it," Mrs. Walsh laughed.

"I'm sure he will be a fine young boy. What news of your husband? Have they found him yet?"

Mrs. Walsh's smile vanished. She shook her head and sighed. "He's been missing since Monday. All I know is that he was going to visit a friend. The friend never received him. I don't know what happened to him. William was the kindest man and he was very caring. He did nothing to deserve being taken away from me like that."

Belle sympathized with the women and placed a hand on her shoulder. "That's how I felt when my father disappeared. I was a young girl and it was all so unexpected. I waited everyday for him to return but he never did. I'll see him again, someday, though. Someday in heaven. Do you believe in heaven, Mrs. Walsh?"

"Of course," answered the woman with a sniffle.

"That's where your husband is. He's always with you," Belle consoled and then heard someone else call for her. "Ah, I have to go tend to the other customers. I wish you well, Mrs. Walsh."

"Oh, thank you, Mrs. Ragg. You're darling," Belle heard her say before she left the table to retrieve more plates from the other customers. Mrs. Walsh was not the first widow to come to the shop. Belle saw new ones everyday. She saw families without fathers, older women who were about to celebrate fifty years of marriage, and women her age who had not even been married a year to their now deceased husbands. She sympathized with each and everyone of them. She knew the feeling and would be devastated if Toby suddenly went missing. She would not know what to do with herself.

"How is your husband? We rarely see him now," one man said as Belle placed a pie on the table.

"Indeed! Where is he hiding away?" The wife asked.

"Oh, he's in the bake house," Belle simply replied and returned to the inside of the shop. She placed all the empty plates on the counter and stayed still for a few moments. Where _is _Toby hiding away? Lately, he seemed to always be distant. Belle did not always see him as much as she had before. In the morning, he spoke very little, for his mind was obviously far off. In the afternoon, he was upstairs working until the early evening. During that time, she would rest. When the early evening arrived, they had a short amount of time together and then they had to open up the shop and begin working. At the end of their long night, Toby was so exhausted that he usually fell asleep before she could even try to make conversation with him. She would always be exhausted, as well, but she could stay awake for a few more moments to speak with him. Each day passed by in this way and each day, Belle felt more and more distant from her own husband. Sundays were the days they were both free of work. They spent those days either together at the shop or out, enjoying the fresh air. The once talkative Toby was now more reserved and private. Belle often wondered what thoughts were festering in his mind when he would remain silent. Was he keeping secrets from her? Nonsense. She told him everything and she hoped that he told her everything, in return. Whatever Toby was battling internally would pass eventually, she thought. Toby's lively side would show more soon, especially when their child was born.

She decided to see how Toby was doing in the bake house. Toby had forbidden her to go near the bake house since it was unhealthy for her but just peeping in once would not be harmful. She made one last check in with her customers. All of them were well off enough for her to be gone for a few minutes. She hastily made her way to the side of the shop and stopped before the steps that descended into the ground and led to the door of the bake house.

One step.

That was farthest she had ever been near the bake house.

Two steps.

Her curiosity was know at it's high point and her heart was racing.

Three steps.

In a couple steps, she would be able to open the door of the bake house and see what was within it. As she was about to take another step down, the heavy door of the bake house was opened and Toby stood there with a tray of pies. Belle almost shrieked of surprise.

"Belle!" Toby said as soon as he laid eyes on her. "What are you doing here?"

"I-I simply wanted to see how you were." Belle took a step back up the stairs.

"Oh, I'm well… Are you?" Toby said and tiled his head.

Belle nodded. "Yes, I'm very well… I only need one more tray of pies. Only a few customers that haven't eaten yet remain," she said. Toby nodded and closed the bake house door behind him. "Good, because I am growing very tired," Toby said as he passed Belle on the cobblestone stairs and held out his hand for her, which Belle gladly took. The two returned to the shop together and served the last of the customers together. Belle was relieved when the last of the customers left. What she desired most was her bed, where she would close her eyes and sleep the day away.

Her and Toby both prepared for bed in silence. Belle was in bed first and watched her husband in the dark. She decided to begin a conversation so she wouldn't be ignored as soon as Toby's head hit the pillow.

"Toby, is something troubling you?" Belle asked with a tinge of regret as soon as Toby got into bed. Toby, who was facing the opposite way, answered her suddenly.

"No. Why do you ask?"

"You seem so… Distant."

Belle heard Toby sigh and he turned over to face her. She could feel his dark eyes staring at her. "Work just exhausts me, that's all. We're both very busy, at the moment. You have a lot of resting to do and I have two jobs to work."

"But, Toby, you don't need to work them both everyday. The pie shop, yes, but the barber shop? I don't think you need to open up the barber shop everyday. That's just extra money. We're making enough with the pie shop."

"But I _need _to work the barber shop everyday," Toby said quietly.

"Perhaps you can only do that every other day?" Belle asked meekly. She placed a hand on his arm over the blanket. "I miss you, Toby."

Toby jaw clenched. He was also missing her. Terribly. He hated the short time they had together during the day due to his work. He would spend all his hours with her but now that he was making an income, he couldn't stop with work. The barber shop was a necessity. If there was no barber shop, there would be no pie shop. The _"fresh supplies" _gained from the barber shop helped him save even more money since he did not have to go out and purchase meat.

"Belle, I know you may not understand, but it is a necessity to have the pie shop _and _the barber shop. On Sunday, I promise, we shall be free from work and we shall spend the day together, as we always do. "

Belle nodded and turned the other way. The moment she closed her eyes was the moment that she felt Toby's arms protectively around her.

"I love you, Belle," he whispered.

"And I love _you_."

On Sunday, Belle felt that the weather was too wonderful to spend the day indoors. The air was cool, the sky had little clouds and the sun was even peeking through. She and Toby decided that the park would be perfect for the afternoon. Before the park, though, Belle had one stop to make.

"Toby, is it alright if we have a short visit with Madeline? Her home is on the way to the park. I haven't seen her in a few weeks and her son is a few months old now. You haven't even met young Phillip, have you?" Belle asked as she pinned up her hair in front of her mirror.

"No, I haven't," Toby said and put on his coat. "I suppose we can go see her. Will she be expecting you?"

"No, but she said I'm always welcome. I'm sure she won't mind." Belle walked out of the bedroom and went over to the coat rack, where her cloak hung. "Just a short visit, that's all. I've been meaning to see her for quite some-" A noise was heard from the front of the shop. Belle looked out from the sitting room and saw that someone was outside the shop door. An older gentleman was trying to open the door and when he realized it was locked, he looked in and saw Belle staring at him. He smiled at her and she quickly went back to the bedroom. "Toby, there's someone at the door," she said anxiously.

"Who?" Toby asked.

"I'm not sure. He's an older man. I don't recognize him," she said quickly and watched Toby walk out of the bedroom. She slowly followed behind and continued to watch him go to the front door. He opened the door and greeted the man.

"I'm sorry, Sir. The shop is closed today," Toby told him. The older man stepped into the shop.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry. I was going to stop in for a quick shave, since I have a dinner tonight. I was unaware that you are not in business today. I shall gladly pay double for the inconvenience."

Toby glanced at Belle and she knew that he could not turn that offer away. She motioned for him to come into the sitting room. "I'll return, Sir," Toby told the man as he hastily went to the sitting room.

"Belle, he'll pay _double_. I can't say no to him now. It won't be a long time," Toby said.

"Alright, Toby," Belle said with a small sigh. "Perhaps I shall visit Madeline on my own while you stay here. I'll return and then you and I may leave to the park."

"That sounds perfect," Toby said anxiously, feeling the bloodlust rise. "When will you be back?"

"Half past one," Belle said after she looked at the clock.

"Excellent. You go, then. Be careful," Toby said and kissed her hand.

"I will," Belle blushed and then went to the front of the shop. "Good day to you, Sir," she said to the man and went out the door.

"Now," Toby said and he walked back into the front of the shop. "What is your name, Sir?"

"I am Sir Vossen. Have you accepted my offer?"

"I have, Sir Vossen. The barber shop is upstairs," Toby said as he led him to the side door. "Does anyone know you're here?"

"Oh, no," Sir Vossen chuckled. "I was supposed to pick up a friend for the dinner tonight but I decided to pop by here for a short while. Will it take long?"

"Oh, no. It should be over soon."

* * *

"He's darling, Madeline," Belle smiled as she looked at the baby in Madeline's arms. Phillip already looked so much like his father and would definitely be just as handsome as him when he was older.

"Thank you. I enjoy him so much," Madeline said and then looked at Belle. "I really do appreciate you visiting me. Is Toby going to come for you?"

Belle turned towards the clock. She had told Madeline the visit would only be for twenty minutes, but half an hour had passed. "Oh, no. I'm walking back home," Belle said as she stood from the sofa.

"Walking home? You shouldn't be out by yourself in your condition," Madeline advised her.

"I'm perfectly well, thank you. Really, Madeline, do not worry about me. It's been a lovely visit. Be sure to tell your mother hello for me when she arrives."

"I will. Thank you, Belle," Madeline said as she walked with her friend to the door.

* * *

Toby gazed down at the opening in the floor that led to the bake house. It had been quite a battle in order to get rid of him. Toby was ready to slit the man's throat but Sir Vossen realized what was about to happen and shoved Toby away from him. Toby almost fell over but quickly regained balance and tried to stab the man. The barber knife was not doing the job well enough so Toby grabbed the small basin on his desk and bashed it against the man's head until he thought him dead. He pushed Sir Vossen back into the barber's chair and sent him straight down to the bake house, sending the basin down with him. The man's coat and hat were on the rack in the corner and Toby knew that his money was kept in there. He glanced around the room as he walked to the rack. There wasn't much blood and he knew he had small splatters of blood on his clothing but since his waistcoat was black, it would not be visible. He would change into something else before Belle arrived. He still had a good amount of time before she would arrive back, anyway.

He cleaned up the small amount of blood and searched Sir Vossen's coat only to found that his pockets were bare. "Where is the money?" Toby muttered. Then, he heard something that surprised him. He heard Sir Vossen groan in pain. Toby immediately ran over to the opening in the floor and looked into the bake house. Sir Vossen was dragging himself across the floor. Toby was shocked to see that man was still alive. He quickly closed the trap door, grabbed his barber knife and ran downstairs and to the bake house, desperate to finish him off, leaving the barber shop upstairs unlocked.

Belle burst through the door, anxious to get to the park with Toby to begin their Sunday together. "Oh, that was such a nice visit, Toby! I wish you would have joined me. Phillip is such a sweet baby. Are you ready to leave?" She asked as she entered the sitting room. It was empty. "Toby?" She asked and went to the bedroom. Empty. She stayed still for a moment and heard nothing but the wheels rattling on the cobblestone roads.

"Toby?" She asked once more. Perhaps he was still upstairs. She had been gone for almost an hour - he could not have left to the park and expected her to meet him there, did he? He was most likely still upstairs and had not known of her arrival. She went out the side door and slowly made her way up the wooden stairs. She paused a few times to catch her breath. She then regretted trying to go up a staircase with this many stairs at this stage of her pregnancy. She went onward and made it to the top. When she opened the door, she expected to see Toby but instead, she saw an empty room.

She walked further into the barber shop. She hadn't been in here for a very long time and was suddenly interested in Toby's barber station. She began to open drawers and saw a barber knife and some small towels. On top, there was a water pitcher that was still full - which seemed strange to Belle, since it should have been nearly empty by now. She walked away from the station and towards the coat rack. On the rack were the coat and hat that belonged to the man she saw earlier in the shop before she had left. Those were there but where was the man? Where was Toby? She put the thought aside and saw the barber chair, which now seemed very curious to her. It was not like any chair she had ever seen. She noticed there was a pedal behind the chair and was curious to see what happened when she stepped on it. She slowly moved behind the chair and placed one foot on the pedal. Before she could press down on the pedal, the door flew open.

"Why the hell are you in here?!"


	21. Chapter 21: The Monster

Sir Vossen was as good as gone once Toby went into the bake house. He dragged the dead man's corpse to the oven and tossed him in. After he finished watching the damned Sir Vossen disintegrate to ashes, he returned to the shop, and there was still no sign of Belle. He went into the sitting room to check the clock and was surprised that an hour had almost passed since they departed. Belle assured him that the visit with Madeline would be brief so, why was she not home yet?

"Belle?" He called out in a loud voice. Her voice was not heard. He silently walked to the front of the shop and that was when he heard light footsteps from above him. Then, he saw the side door had been left ajar. He paled. She was upstairs. The anger was beginning to fill him and he clutched his barber knife so tightly, his knuckles turned white. He ran out of the door and bolted up the stairs. He practically threw the door open and standing in the room, was Belle.

"Why the hell are you in here?!" He fumed.

Belle jumped from surprise and stared at Toby with wide eyes. Her mouth was open, as if to speak, but no words came out.

"Get away from that chair," Toby demanded and walked up to her.

Belle took a small step back. "Toby, I-I-," "I said, get away!" Toby thundered and shoved Belle away from him. She stumbled back but caught herself on the corner of the station. When she regained her balance, she stared wide-eyed at Toby again. He was not himself - this was not her Toby. He was completely disheveled. His stance seemed more dominant than usual, his breathing was heavy, his jaw was clenched, his dark eyes were empty and his expression was one filled with rage.

"Toby, what is wrong?" Belle asked, pleading for an answer. She noticed that Toby was holding his barber knife, which caused her to take a few steps back. "Let's forget about this, darling! The park! We must go to the park now! I think you may need the fresh air. It's lovely outside," she stammered with a nervous laugh. Toby said nothing; instead, he walked towards her. Belle gasped and was about to run to the door, but Toby was quicker. He grabbed her arm with spun her around to face him. His grip was tight, which caused Belle to whimper in pain.

"You are not to leave," Toby seethed.

"Drop your knife, Toby," She commanded in a quiet voice, filled with fear. Toby glanced at her and then at his barber knife. "Drop it!" Belle screamed. Toby dropped the knife and with his free hand, grabbed her other shoulder.

"Why are you in here?!" He shouted in her face.

"I was looking for you, Toby! Let go of me!" Belle pleaded but Toby's grip only tightened.

"I was looking for you and you were no where to be found! I-I called for you but I heard no reply so I went up here and I found Sir Vossen's coat and-," "You are never supposed to come up here, especially when I am not present! Do you understand?" Toby thundered and shook her by the shoulders.

"Ah-yes! Yes, Toby, I understand! Stop, please!" Belle cried. Toby was filled with such anger that he did not want to stop. He did not want to let her go. Something inside him wanted him to inflict more upon her. His bloodlust was still raging within him, as was another demon.

"_Get rid of her, Toby…" _The demonic voice in his mind returned. _"Get rid of her. You will be free to continue living as you like without her. Look at her; she will not last." _

Toby looked into Belle's eyes that had always hypnotized him but felt nothing. Nothing about her drew him to her at the moment. Her face filled with fear did not persuade him. He felt nothing but hate and rage.

Belle could not see Toby at all in this man who was holding her so roughly. Toby would never do this to her. She needed to bring Toby back. She needed to get rid of this monster before something even worse happened. Her heart was beating so fast, she felt it might burst and the pain from his grip on both of her shoulders was filling her whole body. She desperately tried to get out of his hold but he would not loosen his grip at all.

"Toby," she whimpered. "Toby, this is not you! Where are you, Toby?"

Toby stared at her with a look of confusion. This was not him? Of course it was. He saw the tears begin to stream down her face and he loosened his grip. He was beginning to come back to reality and back to himself.

"_No, Tobias!" _

Another wave of rage filled Toby at the sound of the voice in his head, and his hold on Belle was tighter, which caused her to scream. Toby was lost once more and did nothing to ease his wife.

"Toby, stop! Why are you acting this way?" Belle quaked.

"Acting in what way, my sweet?" Toby said in a voice so dark and sinister, that she knew she was facing a demon.

"You're a monster!" Belle shrieked.

At that, Toby felt a surge of strength fill him and his animosity towards Belle had reached it's peek. The voice in his mind was now commanding him to do things that he could not even understand anymore. His rage made his head pound and the beat of his own heart was so loud that he could hear his wife no longer. With great force, he shoved her across from him and watched her fall onto the hard wooden floor. He turned away from her, picked his barber knife up from the floor and placed it back in a drawer. Belle was silent for a few moments but then he heard her labored breathing along with small cries. Then, the rage left his body and the voice in his head was silent. He felt a sudden exhaustion and had to hold himself up by clutching the barber chair for support. He looked across the room and stared at his wife.

"Belle," he quaked and slowly made his way towards her.

Belle lay on the floor in pain and she could not move since landing on her side. Her arm had almost stopped her fall but she was not quick enough. She found it very difficult to breathe and she suddenly clutched her stomach. "Oh, God, please be alright," she tried to whisper, but her breathing made it difficult for her to even speak. When she heard Toby's voice, she looked up at him and lifted herself up.

"No! Don't come near me!" She shouted and slowly began to crawl away from his direction. Her body ached too much so she slowly lowered herself back onto the floor. Toby's eyes filled with tears as he watched his wife and rushed over to her side. He had done this to her. The side of him, which he could not control, had done this to her. The monster within him had done this. He placed his arms around her fragile body and gently began to lift her up.

"Don't touch me!" Belle shrieked but Toby did not let go. "Belle, I'm not trying to hurt you! I'm trying to help you! I can't believe I did this to you," he cried. "I-I'm a monster! You were right! I was not myself! I could not control- oh, darling, I wish you could understand! Please, let me help you," he begged. He did not know what else to say to her, at the moment. His heart was heavy with guilt and hatred towards himself and all he wanted was to abolish what had just been done. He could have killed her. He would have killed her and the demon would have left him and he would see his wife slaughtered and his child- he froze and panicked. "Darling, what about the child? Is he-" "Leave, Toby," Belle trembled in his arms. "Leave. Please, just go," she said in between sobs.

"Why? Belle, you need help! Let me help you!" Toby implored.

"I don't need your help, Toby! Leave!" Belle shouted. "Do not return until you're yourself again," she said quietly.

"But-" "Go!"

Toby nodded and slowly let go of her. He would not ask again, since he would only be rejected. She needed to see a doctor and when he would return, he would have one with him and he would be himself.

After Toby had left her alone upstairs, Belle slowed her breathing and struggled to lift herself again. When she did, she wanted to cry from the pain. She knew she had bruised herself or maybe even gained a broken rib. She blocked Toby out of her mind and only focused on her child. She prayed desperately that he was alright and no harm had come to him. She crawled her way over to the barber station and pulled herself up by holding onto one of the corners. Once she was on her feet, she wanted to fall again, but that was not an option if she wanted her child to live. She slowly walked to the door and swayed a moment before she opened it. Outside the door, a strong wind hit her and her weakness almost made her stumble, but she held onto the wooden rail. Now, she had to make her way down the flight of stairs. She took the slowest steps possible and whimpered each time she went down a step. When she reached the bottom, she felt her vision grow hazy and she opened the side door and pushed herself through, leaving it open behind her. She staggered through the front of the shop, through the sitting room and into the bedroom. She collapsed onto the bed and wept. Something had happened to Toby and she did not know how to stop it. The only time he had shouted at her and seemed so monstrous to her was once on their honeymoon when he was anxious about the nightmare he had. Could the nightmares be haunting him again? They must be. His distance from her now proved to her that something even worse was festering in his mind and in his heart. Something had been taking over him and now it had full control. Her Toby was corrupt. Was it the money they were earning? Was that why he demanded to work two jobs? Was money all that mattered? No man would ever act in the way he had just did unless they were so fearful of losing something. Belle did not want to think of it anymore. She closed her eyes and not only prayed for her unborn child, but for her husband to return to her.

* * *

"What did you say happened to her, Mr. Ragg?" Dr. Montgomery asked Toby as they approached the pie shop.

"She fell. She was upstairs and she tripped over something. Her fall was terrifying," Toby lamented.

"And her child is to be born in two months, you say?" The doctor asked him. Toby responded with a nod and a quiet, "yes".

"Well, let's hope that she and the child are alright. It may be difficult to know, as of yet," the doctor said.

"I trust you shall help her, Dr. Montgomery," Toby said to him as he opened the door of the shop. The side door was open and he panicked at the thought of Belle going down those stairs by herself in order to get to the bedroom. "Belle?" He called out. "She may have come downstairs, doctor. I'll check," he said and went to the sitting room and to the bedroom. The door of the bedroom was opened and he saw Belle on the bed. He feared the worst but then he saw her lightly breathing and was relieved. "She's in here, doctor," Toby said. Dr. Montgomery was joined him by his side. "Oh, good!"

The sound of Toby and Dr. Montgomery's voice woke Belle. She slowly opened her eyes and saw the two men standing in the doorway. "What's this?" She asked quietly. Toby suddenly was by her side. "Belle, this is Dr. Montgomery. He's going to make sure you and the baby are alright. How do you feel?"

Belle sighed and looked at Toby. "I don't know… Did you tell him what happened?"

"Ah, yes, your husband told me of your nasty fall," she heard the doctor say. "I'm terribly sorry about that accident."

"I'm terribly clumsy," Belle murmured to the older man, who responded with a laugh. "Oh, no, dear. We all are. I'm sure you're just fine."

Toby sighed deeply and remained next to Belle. "Can I stay here with you?"

"If you'd like," Belle answered and looked away from him. Toby very much appreciated that he was allowed to stay. He felt the distance growing between them and it would be one that would take a while to close.

"Well, she does have a lot of bruising. They'll take some time to heal but no too long," Dr. Montgomery said twenty minutes later. The examination had not been pleasant for Belle. Her bruises on her side needed tending too and she almost cried throughout it all. Toby did his best to be a comfort to her but most of the time, she ignored him. Dr. Montgomery did not know whether the child was alright or not but he advised Belle that if she remained in bed, all should be well. Belle was relieved at the news but knew that it didn't mean that the child would be well. The doctor had said "_should" _and that word had filled her with more doubt than hope.

The doctor wished her well and Toby paid him. He was tempted to invite the doctor upstairs for a quick shave but he controlled his bloodlust and sent the doctor on his way. He returned to the bedroom and leaned against the doorway. Belle appeared to be sleeping but he knew that she was most likely awake with worry. "Would you like anything?"

"Reassurance that my husband will not ever do that again," Belle murmured and opened her eyes. Toby sighed and went by the side of the bed again. "Belle, I despise how horrible I was earlier. I was a monster. I was- damn, I must have seemed like the devil himself. I hurt you. I didn't realize- something was taking over me and I was so enraged and-" Toby felt Belle's hand on his hand. "Stop, Toby. Clearly, you were not yourself. I was so frightened, though, Toby. I thought you were going to kill me," Belle cried.

"I thought I was too! I would have ended myself if I had hurt you any worse, Belle. I want you safe. I can't live without you, Belle. I need you," he pleaded.

"I need you too, Toby. Promise me that will never happen again. I won't go upstairs anymore."

"And I shall promise to never let that happen again. I love you, Belle. I'm very glad that you are alright," Toby sighed.

"I hope I'll continue to be aright."

"You shall have to remain in bed until the child is born. No more working for you. You do too much as it is. I can handle the bake house and the shop by my myself," Toby said with a small smile. Belle nodded and closed her eyes. "I pray for you, Toby."

Toby kissed her hand and stood. "Thank you, love. I shall bring you dinner in an hour or so."

"That sounds nice," Belle said sleepily. Toby smiled and began to walks towards the doorway.

"Wait, Toby."

Toby glanced behind him. "Yes?"

"Why were Sir Vossen's coat and hat upstairs?"

Toby's jaw clenched and he took a deep breath. "He forgot them. He was in such a rush to get to dinner that he left as soon as his shave was finished," he lied.

"Oh. That's odd. Be sure to return it to him."

"I plan to," Toby muttered and closed the bedroom door to let Belle sleep. He went to the sitting room and crouched in front of the fireplace. Once it was lit and the small flames ignited into great ones, he sat there and watched. The flames only reminded him of his fate, which he now accepted. He turned away and sat on the small sofa. His hands were trembling and he wanted to weep. To weep for his wife, child and all of his innocent victims. There was nothing he could do to stop it. His lust for blood was what kept him going and what was allowing him to provide for his family. It would continue and it would be kept hidden from Belle. He had to atone for what he had done to Belle. He needed to prove to her he was not a monster when he was not away from her. He needed to be the young man full of promise and hope. The man that he once was. He could no longer find that man within him. All he felt was the man he never wanted to be. He became the man he hated and the man that took life away from those who were undeserving. The man whose actions were based on revenge, rage, and hatred. He was becoming the man known as Sweeney Todd. It would not be too long before the man completely took over but, and hopefully, Belle would never be near to see it. He was the monster in secret but he was Tobias Ragg when he was with his family. He would desperately try to keep it that way, as well, but all he felt was that this would not be the last time Belle would see the monster.


	22. Chapter 22: Unexpected

As time went on, the days began to go by slower and slower. Both of the Raggs were becoming inpatient, not only with time, but with one another. Belle remained confined in her bed and detested every moment of it. She wanted to get out of the house, take walks to the park, visit people and enjoy the last few months of her pregnancy, but she was now in her final month of pregnancy and the child was due to be born over the few following weeks. Dr. Montgomery visited regularly and told both her and Toby that their child seemed to be fine and that it would be born healthy. It gave them some comfort but in Toby's mind, it seemed as if it were too good to be true.

Toby lived day by day fighting the guilt he held within himself. It was his fault that this happened to Belle and it was his fault that there may be something wrong with their baby, he constantly reminded himself. Each day, Toby worked and ran the shop alone. Belle would offer to help but Toby politely refused her help and urged her to rest, which she did. At almost every dinner service, a curious customer would inquire Toby as to where his wife was. Toby would always tell them that she wasn't feeling well and was advised by the doctor to rest.

During the day, Toby continued his business upstairs. Since Belle was always locked up in their room, it was easier for him to go from the bake house to the upstairs without seeming suspicious to her. Both business were very prosperous to Toby and he was almost grateful that Belle was somewhat out of the way. He enjoyed not having to be that secretive in the house with her.

Even though Toby's work made him a very busy man, he always made sure Belle was alright. Many times he would look into the bedroom and find her sleeping or reading. The two had very short conversations and were less affectionate than they had been before the incident. Toby didn't enjoy the fact that the distance between them was now becoming obvious to not only to them, but to others, as well. In the past few months, Madeline had visited every other week with her son, Phillip, and noticed that Toby and Belle seemed more to be two people living in the same house rather than husband and wife. Belle knew this was true but she also knew that as soon as their child was born, she and Toby would close the distance and continue life happily.

It was a fairly sunny Friday when Belle decided she was going to spend the day out of bed. Her aunt, Elizabeth, was going to arrive to spend the day with her and have supper with her and Toby. Toby had closed both the barber shop and pie shop today so that Aunt Elizabeth wouldn't scold him for working when she was his guest in their home.

Since Toby was somewhere unknown to Belle, she got out of bed herself. It was a tad bit of a struggle but once she was out of bed, she felt better. Once she changed and slipped into a blue dress of hers, she went to her small vanity and sat down. She stared at herself in the mirror and smiled at her reflection as she did her hair. It was the first time she was able to make herself look presentable since before she was told to stay in bed. She felt alright, for the moment, but something that made her uneasy, rested in the back of her mind. She glanced downwards and placed a hand on her stomach. Since the incident, Belle had been extremely worried about the condition of their child and for the past month, and some time before that, she had not been able to feel anything. Their child, who seemed to active months before, now seemed to be hardly active at all. She hadn't felt a greatly noticeable move, only a few small moves of the child here and there, but not much more. She sighed and quickly finished pinning up her hair as she heard footsteps coming through the front of the shop.

"Belle, what are we going to have for supper with your aunt?" She heard Toby asked as he neared the bedroom. Before she could answer, Toby was already in the doorway staring at her. "Why are you out of bed?" He asked.

Belle turned to face him, hoping he wouldn't be angry with her. "Well, I wasn't going to remain in bed during supper," she said with a small smile. "Help me up, please? It was such a struggle to get out of that bed."

Toby chuckled. "Of course," he said as he walked over to her and helped her out of her seat. "In a few weeks, when the child is here, you won't feel like that anymore. Getting out of bed will be much easier."

"Thank Heaven," Belle said. "Now, what did you ask before? Oh, yes. What shall we serve my aunt for dinner? Well, she won't want a meat pie."

"No, no, I didn't think she would," Toby laughed nervously. "I have some biscuits and vegetables and I could probably make something else, as well."

"That'd be perfect, Toby," Belle smiled. "Thank you." She walked out of the bedroom, with Toby following. "Ah, it feels wonderful to finally step out of that stuffy bedroom."

"I'm sure it does," Toby said as he placed one hand on her arm to help her sit down in one of the chairs. "I'm going to go prepare the food now and possibly go out and purchase a few things, as well."

"That's fine. I won't be leaving the house anytime soon," Belle said as she made herself comfortable in her seat.

"I trust you on that," Toby smiled and left the room. Once he was out of the shop, Belle sighed and closed her eyes. She hated the act she had to put on for Toby. Yes, she was still deeply saddened and hurt by him but she didn't want to make it known. If Toby found out how she felt, she wouldn't know how he would react to her. Would he become angry and hurt her again? She couldn't take the chance. She loved him dearly but she also feared him, as well.

Belle awoke to a sudden sharp pain that caused her to sit straight up in her seat. After a few moments of catching her breath, she fell back into her seat. She hadn't felt a discomfort that painful before and for the moment, it frightened her. Her fears were forgotten when she realized that the child probably just made a sudden movement, which surprised her. She hadn't felt any movement but now that there was a possibility that the child was again active, she was hopeful once more. She smiled to herself and was about to close her eyes again, but the front door of the shop opened.

"You don't lock your doors? I'm surprised you haven't been robbed," A voice said. "Where are you?"

Belle sighed and leaned forward. "I'm in the other room, Aunt Elizabeth."

Aunt Elizabeth kept her head held high as she walked into the room and sneered at the furniture. She huffed and her expression became one of worry and she rushed to where her niece was sitting. "You look worse than you did the last time I was here."

"That is exactly what I had expected to hear you say," Belle frowned. "How are you?"

"Oh, I'm well," Aunt Elizabeth said as she hesitantly sat in the seat across from Belle. "And how are you? I'm surprised you're not in bed as you're supposed to be."

"I've been in bed for years! It's nowhere near comfortable as it sounds," Belle sighed. Comfort was what she wanted right now, but instead, she received a slight pain, that was slowly beginning to fill her ,and she began to shift in her seat.

"Don't exaggerate. You should be in bed. You're as pale as snow," she said, unaware of Belle's continuous shifting. "When can I expect my little niece or nephew to arrive? Soon, is it not?"

"Yes, very soon. A few weeks, I believe."

"Ah, excellent… Where is the child's father?" Aunt Elizabeth asked as she glanced about her surroundings.

"He went out, but I believe now he is preparing our supper."

Aunt Elizabeth was pondering on what to say next but another sharp pain caused Belle to gasp out loud. Her aunt stared at her and raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" Belle replied breathily. "I-I just remembered that we have no dessert for after supper!"

"Oh, come now, child! What does that matter? I won't be upset over the absence of sweets. Are you sure you're alright? You look as though you have seen a mouse scurry across the room," Aunt Elizabeth inferred and looked at the floor to see if she would find a rodent running about.

Belle remained silent. She was fearful of what she was feeling, now. Was it that time already? The doctor had told her that she would have the child in a few weeks. She refused to believe that she was going to have it now and instead, she believed that the pain would eventually go away.

"Well?" Aunt Elizabeth asked impatiently.

Toby had entered the room before Belle could think of an answer for her aunt. "Oh, hello," he said as he walked closer to the two women.

"Hello," Aunt Elizabeth greeted. "Why is Belle out of bed? Look at her, she's practically withering away before my eyes."

Belle groaned and shifted in her seat once more. She wasn't sure if her groan was caused by the pain she was beginning to feel again or caused by the annoyance she felt towards her aunt at the moment. "I'm only tired, that's all."

"She looks lovely, as always, I think," Toby smiled and walked up to where Belle was seated. He took her hand and lightly kissed it. When he gazed at her face, though, he felt something was wrong. Her eyes held fear, for he had seen that expression before. "What's bothering you?" He asked quietly so her aunt wouldn't have the need to be nosy.

Belle replied with a shake of her head. "Nothing is bothering me, Toby," she said and bit her lip. Toby didn't believe her and asked her once more.

"I'm hungry, that's all," she lied.

"Ah, yes, as am I! Have you had dinner prepared already, Tobias?" Aunt Elizabeth asked as she stood from her chair. Toby turned and nodded. "Yes, I have."

"No meat pies, I hope? I don't particularly care for them."

"No, no meat pies tonight," Toby chuckled and then glanced behind to look at Belle. She smiled at him and held out her hand so that he may help her out of her chair. Afterwards, the three of them went to the Ragg's small dining table and began to enjoy their meals; all except for Belle, who was continuously glancing at the clock and fidgeting whenever she would feel pain.

Having dinner took more time than Belle had hoped. Aunt Elizabeth kept telling the two all about the latest parties she had attended, and the most recent scandals and all the gossip of London. As dinner progressed, Belle realized that her pains where coming in a shorter amount of time than they had earlier. Her worry caused her to barely touch her food and all she could do was sit there and stare at Aunt Elizabeth while she spoke. She didn't want to say anything, not yet. She didn't want Toby to worry right now, and she decided to tell him once Aunt Elizabeth had gone.

Half an hour later, Belle was clutching the table whenever she was in pain, as they were coming much more frequently. Some paced her breathing and appeared calm so that Toby and her aunt wouldn't notice.

"Let's see, what else did she talk about?" Aunt Elizabeth asked herself as she tried to recall the latest gossip told to her at a recent party. "Ah, yes! I remember something I heard about Mr. Dubois and his wife! Have you ever met them before?"

"No, I can't say that I have," Toby said and finished his drink.

"Oh, I see. Have you ever met them, Belle? They're such a handsome couple."

"Ah, No!" Belle answered loudly. She gasped and looked up at her Aunt, who was staring at her, shocked by her tone. She hadn't meant to speak to loudly. She felt Toby's gaze on her, as well, wondering the same as Aunt Elizabeth. "No, I can't say that I have either," she finished with a nervous laugh. Toby took notice that she was clutching the table. He immediately stood. "Belle, something's wrong. What's wrong?"

As Belle became consumed with pain again, she whimpered and shook her head. "I-I-I don't know!" She cried. Aunt Elizabeth gasped and stood, as well. "I think you should fetch a doctor," she said to Toby. "Is it time for the baby to arrive, Belle?"

"No! I mean, yes! I-I believe so! Don't call Dr. Montgomery, though. It's late enough, he's probably having dinner with his family," Belle stammered. Toby was immediately at her side and she was in his arms. "He's a doctor, Belle! He's required to attend wherever he is needed and he is needed now!" He said as he carried her to their bedroom.

"Don't be silly, girl! Her mother acted the exact same way!" Aunt Elizabeth scolded as she followed them.

"But Toby, it's dark outside! You'll never be able to find the-" Belle groaned and Toby rushed to grab his coat. "I'll find my way just fine. You're going to have our child! I'll go quickly and return with him in no time."

Belle nodded and looked at her aunt. "Will you remain here with me while he's gone?"

"What kind of a question is that? Of course, I will!" Aunt Elizabeth said and went to look through Belle's dresses to find a nightgown for her to change into. "I shall remain as long as I have to."

Once Toby had his hat and coat on, he gave Belle a heartfelt kiss and embraced her. "Don't worry yourself about anything, darling. You're going to have the best of care and soon, you'll be holding our child in your arms."

Belle nodded and smiled weakly at him. "I simply cannot wait," she sighed. "Now, hurry, I don't know how much longer the child can wait, either."

"Of course," Toby said and gave her one last kiss before he left the room. As he exited the shop, a light rain began to fall over Fleet Street. The night sky was extremely dark and barely anyone was out. The entire street had a very eldritch aura to it, but Toby quickly made his way through the streets and into the portending night in hopes of finding Dr. Montgomery's home as quickly as possible.


	23. Chapter 23: Waiting

**_Hello, everyone! I would like apologize for my less frequent updates. I will be updating this story much quicker than I have been, since I am no longer so busy. Thank you for reading my story and I do hope you enjoy the rest of it. As always, reviews are appreciated. Thank you, again! ~MissAnissa_**

* * *

Toby's mind became filled with the rhythmic pounding of his heavy footsteps and of his heart. He was determined to find Dr. Montgomery's home, but the darkness of the night made it especially difficult for him. He had realized that he was passing by the same shops and buildings more than once and that he was nowhere near Dr. Montgomery's home. The hour of the night was not too late, but there wasn't anyone out to give him direction and the desolate streets caused him to feel as if he were the only man on earth.

After much walking, he found himself on a street that seemed somewhat familiar to him. The dim streetlamps illuminated the fronts of shops that he had passed by sometime before. Was this the way to Dr. Montgomery's house? It had to be. Toby continued to walk but stopped when he saw the familiar church. The church, itself, calmed his uneasiness and gave him a sense of peace, but when he turned away, he had a suspicion that he was not alone. He gave the church one last glace and continued on his way; at least, he would have if he hadn't heard the sound of someone else's footsteps accompanying him. He swiftly turned around, and to his horror, he saw a dark figure standing behind the dim streetlamp across the road. He couldn't see any features of the shadowy figure, but he felt cold eyes staring at him. Toby's breathing began to falter and he was worried that the figure was a thief just waiting to attack. Toby wouldn't be surprised if it was a thief; the setting was perfect for a robbery, and even a murder. When he saw the figure make no advance towards him, he turned around and quickly walked ahead. He had only walked more than a few steps when the streetlamps, that were surrounding him, went out. Toby became nervous and wanted to call for help, but that wouldn't do much. If the thief was near, he would discover where Toby was and kill him instantly. He had to continue on. Right now, his wife was in urgent need of a doctor and could be in grave danger, but here was her husband, frightened to death in the middle of a lightless street. A shiver ran down Toby's spine and he slowly walked on through the darkness as the wind began to howl. For Toby, it wasn't the wind that was howling, it was the ghosts that were watching him in the darkness that were howling. Once fear began to consume Toby, he stopped walking and shut his eyes to drown out the sound.

"Lord, help me!" He shouted. As soon as he spoke those words, a distant streetlamp flickered on and illuminated a street filled with houses. When he opened his eyes, he saw the lit street and Dr. Montgomery's home. Toby let out a nervous laugh and looked up towards then heavens for an instant before he bolted towards the houses. He reached the front steps of Dr. Montgomery's home and pounded on the door, shouting loudly:

"Dr. Montgomery? Help! I need you!"

An older man, dressed in fine attire, opened the curtain of a window to see who was causing commotion at the door. Once he and Toby saw one another, Toby pleaded for him to open the door. The man nodded and left the window. Toby paced on the small porch as he waited for the door to be opened. If Dr. Montgomery wasn't available to help Belle, Toby wasn't sure what he would do. He didn't know where else he would go. Dr. Montgomery was the only doctor aware of Belle's situation and would know how to take care of her and the baby.

The man opened the door with caution and looked at Toby suspiciously. "Good evening, sir. What is it you need?"

"Please, I need to Dr. Montgomery to come back with me. My wife is going to have our child and we need him! He knows who I am! He's been to our home many times before during these past few months.

The man hesitated, and Toby felt that perhaps the man did not believe him. "He's at dinner with the family," the man began. "But I shall tell him you are asking for him."

"Thank you! My name is Tobias Ragg. He'll know who I am if you tell him my name."

The man nodded. "Wait here," he said and closed the door. Toby thought the man was still obviously suspicious of him and wouldn't trust him if he allowed him inside, but Toby no longer cared. As long as he was getting help for Belle, he wouldn't have cared if he was told to wait in the pouring rain.

When the door opened, Dr. Montgomery was standing before him. "Mr. Ragg, my butler tells me that you are in need of me?"

"Yes! I hope it's not too much trouble," Toby said.

"I was just finishing up dinner with my family. Is everything well at home?" Dr. Montgomery asked. "How is your wife feeling?"

"She's going to have our child soon. She began having pain while we were having supper. We need you. Please, come back with me so you may help her. She's with her aunt right now but soon she'll need a doctor. Please!" Toby pleaded.

"Is she? Of course, I'll go, Mr. Ragg. Wait here, I'll be right with you," he said and promptly went back into the house.

"Thank you," Toby said after the doctor had gone. He began to have hope that they would return to his home at the right time and Belle and their child would be perfectly fine. Through the window, adjacent to the door, Toby saw Dr. Montgomery kissing his wife and young son goodbye. Toby smiled slightly and imagined himself with Belle and their child. If she were to have a son, he would work hard just like his father and Toby would teach him from an early age on how to do things around the shop. If they had a daughter, she would have lovely eyes and luscious blonde locks, like her mother, and Toby knew he would spoil that girl to death. Whether the child be a boy or girl, he would give them everything that he never had as a child and he was so eager to meet him or her and begin a new part of his life with Belle.

"Alright, Mr. Ragg, I am ready to leave," Dr. Montgomery announced as he stepped outside and closed the door behind him. "I've brought some medical instruments if the situation may occur and they are needed, but let's hope they aren't."

"Yes, let's hope," Toby sighed and began walking.

"Mr. Ragg, we shall take a carriage. I wouldn't trust these streets at night."

The carriage ride did nothing to calm Toby's abundance of nerves. The closer they were to Fleet Street, the more nervous he became. Dr. Montgomery could sense his nervousness and he decided to make conversation to prevent his patient's husband from having a heart attack in the carriage.

"Are you anxious about becoming a father?" The doctor asked. Toby was surprised by his question, but nodded and gave him a smile. "Very much so… I saw that you have a son."

Dr. Montgomery smiled. "Yes, I do. His name is George. He's named after my wife's father. Do you and your wife have a name for your child as of yet?"

"I suppose that is something for my wife and I to decided once the child arrives, isn't it?" Toby smiled.

Toby practically sprinted through the shop to get to the bedroom to see Belle. Dr. Montgomery followed quickly behind. Toby opened the bedroom door and saw Belle lying on the bed with her Aunt sitting in a seat next to the bed.

"Toby?" Belle asked and and struggled to sit up. "Oh, you're finally here!"

"Lay yourself down, girl!" Aunt Elizabeth scolded.

Belle groaned and shook her head. "No, I'm alright. Oh, hello, Dr. Montgomery. I'm so relieved that you're here to-," she whimpered and lightly fell back onto the bed. "Help me. So relieved that you're here to help me," she repeated with anxious laughter.

"Of course, Mrs. Ragg," Dr. Montgomery smiled and stepped further into the room. "How do you feel?"

"Fine," Belle smiled and glanced at Toby.

"You do not feel _fine_! You've done nothing but moan since this all began!" Aunt Elizabeth said. Toby saw that she was nervous for her niece and the only way to show her emotion, at the moment, was to scold her.

"Oh, that's perfectly normal, Mrs-" "Ms. Marsden, thank you. It's a pleasure to meet you," Aunt Elizabeth said and then looked at Toby. "Why are you still in here? You don't expect to be present during the birth, do you?"

"I..I was hoping-" "Nonsense! It is most improper for a man to hear his wife in pain."

"Aunt Elizabeth, please!" Belle cried. "Was my father with my mother?"

"Of course, not! Your father waited patiently for almost ten hours before he was able to see you all bundled up nicely in your mother's arms."

Toby was surprised. _Ten hours? _He had forgotten that some women remained in labor for many hours, sometimes days. He remembered that Belle remained with Madeline the entire night and didn't return home till the following morning.

"What do _you _think on the subject, doctor?" Aunt Elizabeth inquired.

"Oh, well, sometimes fathers choose to stay, but the majority, I have seen, wait outside the door. I was with my wife, though."

"That's no help. Tobias, remain outside. The only male in the room should be the doctor," Aunt Elizabeth said and waved her hand toward the door.

"Perhaps, you should, Toby. I don't want you to worry," Belle said, giving him a sad smile.

Toby sighed and kissed her hand. "I'll worry more if I hear you from out there."

"Yes, but you'll know that everything is alright and that I am being cared for. I won't take too long, I promise," she giggled but then winced from the pain.

"I trust that you shall be alright and I shall wait patiently outside," Toby said and kissed her already damp hair. "I love you, Belle."

"I love you, Toby."

Toby smiled and slowly began walking out of the room. "She'll be fine, Mr. Ragg. If anything happens, I shall be sure you know," Dr. Montgomery assured him.

"Thank you," Toby said with a slight nod and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. He went over to the fireplace in the sitting room and began to ignite a fire to keep himself warm and awake and the crackling of the wood and fire would relax him. Once the fire was lit, he sat in his chair and watched the flames. He continue to focus on the idea that, hopefully, within the next few hours, he would be holding his newborn baby while his tired wife slept and when she would wake, she and him would marvel at their first born child.

As more hours passed Belle's screams were all Toby could hear. There would be silence for a few moments, but then all would start up again. The entire time, he had remained where he had been: sitting in front of the fire, sick with worry. Of course, the fires had died down so all he was staring at was ash and the charred remains of the logs. He hadn't even bothered to look at the clock, that was ticking impatiently in the corner. All he had been wanting was news on what was happening and if Belle was alright. The fact that no one had bothered to leave the room to tell Toby that all was well, upset him very much.

Toby decided to relight the fireplace with the extra wooden logs he had stacked up near the clock. The flames would distract him somewhat from the on going cries of pain of his wife in the next room. He stood up from his seat, after what felt like years, and walked over to the logs. He picked up the stack and placed them in the fireplace. As soon as he was going to light them, the bedroom door flew open and Belle's aunt stood there. The look of distress on her face caused Toby to stand up and walk over to her. He was about to ask her what was wrong, but she began barking orders at him.

"There's a second pitcher of water and a small rag in the front, get it for me!"

Toby blinked and shook his head. "Elizabeth, what is-" "Get the damned pitcher and rag, Ragg!" She ordered. Toby nodded and frantically ran to the front of the shop. A pitcher and a rag were placed on one of the counters. He ran to it and grabbed them and was about to bolt back to Aunt Elizabeth, but something stopped him dead in place. Outside the window, there was a street lamp. Under that street lamp, was the dark figure he saw while on his way to the home of Dr. Montgomery. There was something different about the sight of this figure, though. The light from the streetlamp allowed Toby to make out some features of the figure, and it was smiling at him. No, not smiling; grinning. It was a sweet grin that made Toby feel sick to his stomach.

"What the _hell _are you doing?" The pitcher and rag were snatched out of Toby's hands.

"Your wife is in great need of this! Don't you understand? Your wife is trying to have your child! Are you really so dimwitted that you thought it would be logical to pause and admire the way the light illuminates the God forsaken street outside of your window?" Aunt Elizabeth shouted at him and promptly walked away.

"I-" Toby began and looked out the window again. The figure was gone. Toby cursed and followed Aunt Elizabeth. "Wait!"

"No, I am not waiting and neither will she!" Aunt Elizabeth said and began to close the bedroom door, but Toby caught it before she could. "What is wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong! Everything is alright!"

"And the child?" He demanded.

"We don't know yet!"

"Why is she screaming so much? That doesn't sound like everything is alright!" He cried.

"If you don't let me tend to her, then she won't be fine!" Aunt Elizabeth retorted and abruptly close the door in front of him.

"No! I need to see her!" Toby shouted as her tried to open the door. The woman had locked it. "Damn it!" He groaned stood there for a moment, listening. Could Belle hear him? Was she aware of what he was feeling? Of course not. It was selfish of him to think so. All he wanted to do was see her and make sure she was truly alright. He slammed his hand on the door and returned to the fireplace, where he angrily lit the logs and watched the flames. He glanced at the clock in the corner of the room. It was already one o'clock in the morning. How long had it been since this all began? He didn't know and he didn't want to think about it. It had been too long.

Knowing the time had made Toby realize how tired he actually was. He didn't want to think about how exhausted Belle was by now. If she could remain strong for this long, than he could do something as simple as staying awake for her. But his strength failed him, so he drifted into sleep and he dreamt.

He found himself walking down a dark street, similar to Fleet Street. All was the same, except that, at the end of the street, there was nothing but darkness, and a single, lit lamppost. He slowly began to move towards the lamppost and the closer he got to it, the clearer a ghostly figure became.

"_I'm glad you chose to finally approach me," _the figure said to him. _"You shouldn't be so frightened of me." _

"_Why do you keep appearing everywhere I go? I can't escape you if I tried." _

"_It's too late to even try. You're becoming me. Your lust for blood is already to great to ignore." _

Toby saw the scenery around him disappear and he was suddenly in the bake house. Sweeney Todd stood next to him, causing Toby to step away from him. He made a face of surprise when he heard the light splashing of puddles beneath his boots. Much to his disgust, Toby glanced downwards and saw that he was standing in a pool of blood. As he turned, it was revealed to him that the entire bake house had a numerous amount of puddles of blood scattered throughout the floor, but Toby remain silent.

"_How much longer can you keep this a secret, Toby? How much longer can you keep this hidden from your wife?"_

"_She won't find out."_

"_No? I think your time is running out, Tobias. She's very curious, that wife of yours. She's just dying to just have a glance in here. What if she discovers it the height of a bloodbath?" _

"_She won't ever come here. I'll make sure of that," _Toby glared and continued to slowly walk through the crimson puddles. _"You've caused me to hurt her in such way that no one deserves. I need to keep her safe from you!"_

Sweeney grinned. _"I thought you had already realized that the only person you need to protect her from is from yourself."_

"_No! I swear, she shall never see me in that way again! I need to leave. Get me out of this nightmare!" _Toby shouted.

"_Why would you want to leave something that you have spent a grand amount of time creating for yourself? Look around yourself, Tobias. So many lives have been lost because of you. So many who were expecting to return home to their families," _Sweeney began. As he was talking, Toby felt the puddles beneath him rise and soon, he was standing knee deep in blood. The pools had vanished and had come together to create an ocean around him. Toby desperately tried to run to the door of the bake house, but each time he tried, the door seemed to be further and further away until it was no longer visible.

"_Let me out!" _Toby ordered, turning in all directions to find the man speaking to him.

"_Why should you be allowed a grander life than those who truly deserve one? You're a murderer, Tobias."_

"_Enough!" _

"_You don't deserve a life of joy. I thought I did..."_

"_STOP!" Toby demanded. _

All was silent but the faint crashing of the red ocean against him. Sweeney Todd was nowhere to be seen. The door of the bake house had reappeared and Toby trudged towards it at great speed. When he reached the door, the voice, that Toby loathed, began to speak again.

"_Toby, dear boy, It seems I have neglected to tell you something."_

"_What have you neglected to tell me?" _Toby replied, tightening his grip on the handle of the door.

"_You have my deepest condolences. Such an unfortunate thing to happen,"_

"_What?"_ Toby asked and turned. _"What are you talking about?" _He demanded an answer but no one was with him any longer. _"Where are you? What do you mean?" _He shouted to the oncoming darkness of the bake house. The crimson sea had disappeared and the cobblestone ground was visible and dry. Toby's breathing labored and he turned the handle of bake house but the door would not open. He made a fist and began pounding on the door. _"Let me out! Now!" _

Toby jolted himself awake and came face to face with the ashes in the fireplace; somehow, he had ended up on the floor during his sleep. He groaned, wiped his eyes and slowly stood up from his resting place. He looked at the clock in the corner, whose ticking seemed to have gotten louder, and saw that it was almost half past five. Outside the window, a dull light was showing poorly through the heavy clouds of a new morning. Toby seemed to be in a daze and he anxiously paced through the room waiting for news of his wife and child.

As he paced, he kept his steps as slow and as silent as he could so that he would be able to hear the activity happening in the next room. It was too quiet, he thought. There had been none stop commotion sounding from there before he had fallen asleep. The silence was beginning to worry him immensely. To him, it seemed as if the silence was being caused by fear, such as when a congregation of people are waiting to hear unwanted news. What had happened? With each horrid thought, the tick of the clock became slower and Toby grew more and more impatient. He let out a loud sigh and leaned against the mantel of the fireplace.

_ "Nothing's going to harm her, not while I'm around," _He sang quietly to himself. _"Nothing's going to harm her, no sir, not while I'm around…" _The light outside slowly began to dim as the clouds covered the weak, rising sun. Toby went to the window and closed the curtains, not wanting to see the drab morning sky. Once the curtains were closed, he faced away from the window and kept his gaze on the bedroom door.

"_Demon's are prowling everywhere, nowadays…" _

A light murmur from a woman was heard from the bedroom. Toby froze in place at sound of the voice. A lower voice replied back, which Toby obviously knew was Dr. Montgomery. After the doctor spoke, there was a silence. Less than a minute later, another woman's spoke a single word and suddenly, Toby heard a woman's cry. His heart instantly began to pound in his chest as his slowly stepped nearer to the bedroom door. He didn't have a care for the protests Aunt Elizabeth and Dr. Montgomery would make; he was going to get into that room to see his wife and child. He hoped it wouldn't still be locked. At the exact moment Toby was about to place his hand on the knob of the door, the door was slowly opened from the inside. Dr. Montgomery stepped out with a pale, upset appearance and seemed to be in need of much sleep. He was surprised to see Toby waiting right before him, but the doctor sighed, closed the bedroom door behind him to lessen the audibility of a woman's light sobs, and stared back at Toby with a frown.

"Well?" Toby asked anxiously. He quickly lowered his gaze and saw blood on the sleeves of the doctor's coat; Belle's blood. He quickly averted his gaze and looked at the doctor. "Well, what is it?" He hastily asked again. "A boy or a girl?"

After some moments of hesitation, the doctor opened his mouth to speak, but turned away. "Mr. Ragg-" "Boy or girl? I've been waiting since last night for this, sir! Please, tell me," Toby pleaded.

The doctor nodded and finally spoke. "A boy, Mr. Ragg. I-" "A boy?" Toby repeated in utter amazement. "Oh my God, I have a son. This is… Wonderful!" Toby said excitedly. A smile came to his face as he ran his fingers through his hair and began to make short paces in front of the doctor. "I've never been so proud! I've never been so happy!" He announced. A feeling of joy swept through him and everything was forgotten but the fact that he had a son. He had a child of his own to love, to take care of and to watch grow into a wonderful young man throughout the upcoming years.

"I'm sure he's wonderful! Is he wonderful?" Toby asked, realizing that he sounded like a child on Christmas day, but he didn't care; he had every right to feel this way and more.

The doctor remained without a slight hint of joy. "Mr. Ragg-" "And Belle!" Toby interrupted. "How is she? How is my beautiful wife? She was in labor for so long, my poor, darling wife! I heard her. Is she alright?" Toby asked, in a more serious manner.

"She's well, Mr. Ragg," the doctor answered.

"Oh, thank God!" Toby breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God, Thank you, thank you. I was so worried, I didn't know what I would have done if she…. May I see her? May I see her and my son?" Toby asked, imagining his son sleeping peacefully in his wife's arms. Before the doctor could answer, Toby continued on. "Oh, I have the loveliest family in the world. I never heard my child cry… Are they not supposed to cry? He's a quiet one, isn't he? That's good. Belle can do with some peace and quiet for a while. It shall be much easier for she and I to care for a quieter child. A peaceful, quiet-" "Mr. Ragg, I need to inform you of something," the doctor interrupted, not being able to keep his words from Toby much longer.

Toby slightly tilted his head in confusion and nodded. "What is it? Are you sure everything is alright?"

"Mr. Ragg, it pains me very much to be the bearer of such grave news," the doctor solemnly said.

"What on earth are you talking about, Dr. Montgomery?" Toby asked with a laugh. "You just made it known to me that why wife and child are alright."

"I didn't say-" "Is it Belle? Is she bleeding or has she fainted or anything of that sort?" Toby asked

"No, Mr. Ragg."

Toby laughed nervously once more and happily sighed. "Well, wonderful! Wonderful. She's alright, then! I knew she would be. She's a strong woman. What could be your grave news then? My wife and son are perfectly alright and I am going to see them right now, if you would just let me-"

"Mr. Ragg, your son is dead."

And suddenly, all the joy and hope, that Toby had felt only moments before, had vanished. Forever.


	24. Chapter 24: Mourning

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Ragg. If there is anything I could do to-"

"No," Toby said, fighting back tears. "No, there is nothing more." Toby placed one hand on the wall to support himself. He wanted to collapse onto the ground and wake up from this nightmare, but he knew that it was all too real. His vision became blurred and he looked up at Dr. Montgomery. "May I see her? Please, I need to see her."

The doctor sighed and slowly shook his head. "Your wife wishes to be left alone, at the moment."

Aunt Elizabeth opened the door of the bedroom and closed it slowly behind her. She too seemed to be fighting back tears but she remained composed. "She wanted to be alone with the b-b-" she sobbed and hastily left the sitting room. Toby watched her go and the tears began to stream down his face.

"I'll make sure she's alright," the doctor assured and turned towards the doorway. "Are you going to stay here? I can tell her that you're waiting to see her."

Toby shook his head. "N-no. I… I think I'll go out for a walk. I-I'll return soon," he said and slowly stepped back. What was happening to him? He suddenly felt a dark presence in the room and he had to get away. It was as if something was watching him.

"Mr. Ragg? I think you should sit down. You look weary. Please, sit down and relax yourself. I don't recommended leaving the house after hearing such heavy news," the doctor said warily.

"No, I'm fine!" Toby shouted and left to the front of the shop, where Aunt Elizabeth was sobbing over the counter. She glanced up when she heard Toby's footsteps and watched him opening the front shop door.

"You did this to her," she seethed.

"Did what? I did nothing!" Toby defended and avoided her eyes from her.

"Yes, you did!" Elizabeth walked out from behind the counter. "Do you expect to have believed that Belle was supposed to remain in bed all those months because of an accident? I saw her bruises, Tobias. Those were no accident! You did it! You caused harm upon my niece and killed your son in the process! Get out!"

"I did not!" Toby began to panic. He refused to hear anymore so he ran out of the shop and into gloomy morning. Voices began to fill his head. They were demonic voices shouting accusations at him and causing him to almost burst with guilt. The howls of the ghosts were wrapping themselves around him and he desperately needed to abandon them from himself. He continued to run without allowing himself to stop. He ran past the curious onlookers and past the dim shop windows. He soon was breathless and paused for a moment. The voices were silent but he knew that they would return to torment him. Once he caught his breath, he checked his surroundings and saw the church ahead of him. Carriages were stopped along the road. Men, women and young children, who were dressed in black and seemed to be in mourning, were entering the church doors. Something seemed odd about this funeral procession; there wasn't a coffin. Toby urged himself to inquire about it, so he approached one of the gentlemen.

"Excuse me, whose funeral is this?" Toby asked quietly.

The man seemed as if he were trying to remember if he knew Toby but when he realized he didn't, he answered him. "Mr. Oliver Dermontt. Did you know him?"

The name was all too familiar to Toby and he remained still. "H-how did he die?" It was the question Toby was afraid to ask and he was even more worried about what the answer would be.

"We don't know for certain. He simply left the house one afternoon for a walk and he never returned. There was no body found either."

Toby felt sick. Mr. Dermontt's murderer was standing right outside of his funeral. Mr. Dermontt had come into the barber shop one afternoon and Toby wasted no time sending the man to his death. Now, here was his family and friends attending his funeral. They would be forced to continue life without the comfort of knowing how their loved one died, and it was all because of Tobias Ragg.

"Are you ill, sir?"

"No! I just…," Toby blinked a few times before the voices began to echo through his mind. He gave the man one last look before running past the church. He wanted to escape the world and all that was happening to him. As he ran, he neglected to check his surroundings and he found his way to the harbor. To his surprise, there were no ships in the harbor and Toby couldn't see any sailors near him, so he slowly walked along the dock.

_This is all my fault. Everything is all my fault. My child is dead because of ME. And what of Belle? She must be so… Devastated! She doesn't even want to see me… It should have been me that died. She would be happier with a child than have to live life with me. What if she no longer loves me? What if she discovers everything that I've done? _

Toby couldn't bear the thought of Belle leaving him and he wanted desperately for her to forgive him, but he knew that it would not be likely. She had been so eager and excited to have a child and now, there was no child. Would there even ever be a child? He gazed down at the dark water and was envious of how peaceful it looked. Everything had happened so quickly for Toby, that he still felt as if he were dreaming. How easy it would be to escape, he thought, and knelt on the dock. If he fell in now, and fought the urge to struggle, he would quickly slip away and sink to his watery grave. He would be gone without a trace, just like all the other men that he had killed.

_Belle would be happy. Her aunt would be happy. I would be happy. If I could disappear from Belle's life, she would have no choice but to find something better… _

He knew it was a selfish idea, and he would hate for Belle to be alone during this time, but he just couldn't see her being happy with him ever again. He slowly leaned forward. The tranquil water would bring him peace not only for himself, but also for Belle. The moment he was about to let it all go, he felt a firm grip pull him back by the shoulder.

"Sir, what are you doing?" Toby heard a worried man's voice from the side of him.

"Exactly what it looks like!" Toby shouted and fought to get out of the man's grip. The man stood Toby up and firmly held his shoulders. "You mustn't do that! If you try one more time, I'm going to take you to the asylum!"

Toby resisted the need to fight against him and glared at the young officer, who was standing before him. He must have seen Toby walking to the dock and was waiting until he knew for certain what Toby was going to do.

"Do you need help, sir?" The officer asked. "Why were you trying to drown yourself!?"

Toby sighed and hung his head in defeat. "My wife just had a baby… And it was stillborn."

The officer loosened his grip on Toby's shoulders. "I… I'm so sorry. You must feel-"

"Officer, you haven't the slightest idea about how I feel! She doesn't even want to see me!" Toby protested and began to walk away. The officer followed him. "I know damn well how you're feeling! Drowning yourself in the harbor isn't going to solve anything! Your wife is in severe mourning! How can you be so selfish and do this when you don't know how she feels?"

"How can _you_ understand?" Toby asked, but slowly continued to walk ahead of the officer.

"Five years ago," the officer began, "I was sent off on a grand search for a criminal, who keep slipping out of our grasp. My wife was with child, at the time and she was due to have it very soon. I left on the search one night and remained out of the home all night. We didn't find the criminal till morning. I arrived home that afternoon," he paused. Toby had stopped walking and was now facing the man. "And when I entered the house, I knew instantly that something was wrong. There was a doctor there, as well as some members of my family, who had been visiting us. I was informed that my wife had had the child, but neither of them survived."

The guilt hit Toby again. "You have suffered much more than I am, now..." Toby said quietly.

"No! No, one must not compare their sufferings with another. Just know that I have been through what you are experiencing and that I shall be a friend to you during this time. What is your name?"

"Tobias Ragg. I own the pie shop, over on Fleet Street. It's called Mrs. Lovett's Pie Emporium. Perhaps you have heard of it or visited?" He extended his arm to shake the officer's hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Ragg. I am Officer Gregory Averill. I have passed by that pie shop many times when I'm making my rounds through Fleet Street. It was still abandoned when I became an officer."

"Yes, it was untouched until I decided to reopen it. It is also my home."

"Well, Mr. Ragg, I suggest you should return to your home. Your wife needs you." Officer Averill gave him a sad smile. "And I am very sorry for your loss. Trust that there will be better days. I shall keep your family in my prayers, Mr. Ragg."

"Oh, thank you," Toby sighed. "Goodnight, then, officer."

"Goodnight."

A slight temptation made Toby want to not return home and find another way of ending his misery, but he trusted that there would be better days with Belle, as Officer Averill had told him. He trudged through the streets with a blank expression on his face. He avoided the gazes of anyone he passed by and kept his focus on returning to his wife. He would hold her, kiss her, mourn with her, but most importantly, he would help her continue to have a happy life.

As he entered the shop, he saw that Elizabeth had fall asleep with her head on the table. He thanked God because he wasn't sure what he would have done if he would have been greeted by the woman's accusations and irritating screams. As he entered the other room, he noticed that Dr. Montgomery was gone. Did that mean the baby was gone, as well? He slowly walked towards the bedroom door and lightly knocked.

"Belle? May I come in?" He asked, hoping that she hadn't fallen asleep or chosen to never lay eyes on his again. Silence was the response that he had received. Her lack of response saddened him even more and he chose to try again later. When he was about to turn away from the door, he heard a quiet voice call out his name. He quickly opened the door and saw Belle sitting up in bed, staring at him. The bed sheets had been changed, she was in a new nightgown and her hair was nicely tied up. She appeared exhausted, though, and her eyes were red from crying. "Toby?" She called out again, trying to withhold a sob. Toby ran to the side of bed and embraced her. She placed her arms around him and hugged him tightly as she sobbed into his shoulder. Toby heard her try to speak, but all he could hear was her sobs and gasps.

"Shh, darling, it's not your fault," Toby said soothingly. He slowly moved his hand up and down her back so that she could relax.

"I-I know it's not my fault, Toby."

"Of course not… It's my fault, Belle. I hurt you and I hurt him!" Toby cried. Belle slowly pulled away from him and looked at him. She couldn't allow him to think that way. She knew it to be true, but she would never want to believe it. She shook her head.

"No, don't say that, Toby! It's not your fault, either. Don't you dare think that you did this. It was just… the way things were meant to happen, Toby. It's so unfair!" Belle began sobbing again and buried her face in his shoulder again.

Toby let out a sigh and held her. His poor wife was trying to remove his guilt and he was aware of it, as well. He knew that this happened because of him and nothing she would say could change that fact. If he hadn't become the horrible monster, that he was, on that day, none of this would have happened. The two of them could have been in awe of their new son and all would have been perfect. Instead, they were embracing each other, and were now parents of a dead child. Was it Belle's fault? If she hadn't gone upstairs that day, none of this would have happened. Toby cursed himself for thinking so selfishly and horribly.

"Is he gone?" Toby asked once the minutes filled with crying had died down. Now, Toby was sitting next to her on the bed and holding her in his arms.

"Yes, he's gone. I want the funeral to be as soon as possible," Belle said as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry you couldn't see him. I was able to hold him, but I couldn't bear it. I wanted-" "It's fine, Belle," Toby told her.

"He looked so peaceful," Belle said quietly and stared at the wall. Toby watched her and knew that she was remembering the sight of him.

"Did you name him?"

She turned her gaze from he wall to Toby. "I did. I named him Thomas Ragg. My father's name was Thomas." She smiled slightly.

"That's a wonderful name, darling." Toby kissed her cheek and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"My aunt is asleep, isn't she?"

"She is, yes."

"She was so upset… After she said you had left, she returned here and made me look presentable… I heard her yelling at you. What did she say?"

Toby shrugged. "It's not important, Belle. You don't need to worry yourself. After your aunt expressively told me to get out, I left. I walked all the way to the dock and I- that's not important. There was an officer there who spoke to me for a short while. His wife and child died five years ago. He was kind, though. He says that he shall pray for us."

"Oh, poor man. If you ever see him again, invite him to have a pie, will you?"

"Of course," Toby said. "How are you feeling?"

"My heart is broken," Belle said quietly and closed her eyes. "I just want sleep. That's all I want now. The one thing I wanted the most was taken from me."

Toby frowned and closed his eyes, as well, saying nothing more to his wife. Within minutes, both were asleep and when they would wake, silence and life would continue.

The following week was the funeral. Like their wedding, not many people attended. The church pews were filled by Belle, Toby, Aunt Elizabeth and Madeline. Dr. Montgomery was going to attend the funeral, as well, but he had another patient need him. The entire funeral was accompanied by the light sobs of women. Toby remained stiff and carried a blank expression all throughout it. He eyes never averted from the small casket before him. He was just filled with the blame and guilt of it all.

Little Thomas Ragg was buried in the nearby cemetery. His tiny plot was ready for the casket and Belle and Toby stayed the entire day to watch the casket be buried and covered. Aunt Elizabeth felt too emotional and unwell to stay, so she returned home once the funeral was over. Madeline stayed for the majority of the burial, but left to tend to her son at home. Toby and Belle remained in the same spot till evening, unbothered and as still as the gravestones, themselves.

Toby and Belle continued business in the pie shop the week after. Belle served pies to her customers as emotionless as her husband was now when he was murdering his victims upstairs, above her head. Toby's lack of emotion caused the suspicions of him to fade, for now. Life went on slowly for the two and there no longer was much affection between them. They had both seen each other fade away and were both silently hoping that the other would resurface. Unfortunately, it would take some time before either of them would.


End file.
